Sheri Byars, 48, of Garden Grove was killed in a Westminster rollover car accident on the 405 Freeway in Westminster the night of May 16, 2009 after she was rear-ended by another driver, The Orange County Register reports. California Highway Patrol officials say Byars was driving a Chevy Astro van and had not yet merged into the 405 lanes when a Nissan Sentra driven by Nancy Marie Carels struck the van from behind.

Byars suffered major personal injuries including a skull fracture. She died in the hospital two days after the car accident. CHP officials say alcohol or drugs were not involved. They are still looking into how or why the car collision occurred and who is at fault. Byars’ van that was struck from behind, hit a raised median and then rolled several times before coming to rest on its wheels in the northbound lanes of the 405 Freeway. Carels was not personally injured in the car accident. Two passengers in Byars’ van ages 17 and 22 suffered injuries, but they were not life-threatening.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sheri Byars. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved this woman. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollover accidents are more likely than any other type of crash to result in catastrophic injuries or death because of their nature and intensity. California Highway Patrol’s 2007 traffic accident statistics reports 10 fatalities and 559 injuries as a result of car accidents in Westminster.

If I were a member of the Byars family, I’d want to know what exactly happened in this rollover accident and if there was any negligence involved. Why did the driver of the Nissan, Carels, strike Byars’ Astro? Was she traveling too fast? Was she distracted or driving recklessly?

In this case, it’d be in the family’s best interest to contact experienced Orange County car accident lawyers, who will examine accident reports and all the facts, talk to witnesses and determine who or what caused this fatal car accident. An attorney who is also well versed in product defect cases can help determine whether there were any product defects in Byars’ van that caused it to flip over or whether there was any product failure that caused her fatal personal injuries.

Families of deceased car accident victims can file wrongful death claims in cases where negligence or wrongdoing is involved. Such claims compensate the families for medical or funeral expenses, loss of earnings, companionship and related damages.