Manuel Garcia Baltazar, 26, was killed in a rollover car accident on the 10 Freeway in Riverside County, California. According to a news report in The Desert Sun, officials are puzzled as to what caused this fatal car accident and why Baltazar lost control of his pickup truck. Baltazar was ejected from the truck and died at the scene of the early morning car crash, which occurred on July 29, 2009. California Highway Patrol investigators say he was not wearing his seatbelt.

Baltazar was reportedly traveling eastbound on the freeway in the fast lane when his 2003 Chevrolet truck went off the roadway on the left. He then overcorrected and skidded into the dirt where the truck rolled once. Officials don’t know how fast he was going, but according to witness reports, Baltazar was not speeding. No other cars or vehicles were involved in this car crash and CHP officials also say that alcohol or drugs were not a contributing factor.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Manuel Garcia Baltazar for their tragic and untimely loss. My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved Baltazar. Please keep them in your prayers.

Rollover Car Accident Cause Catastrophic Injuries

Based on California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 279 fatalities and 9,925 injuries involving car accidents in Riverside County. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 10,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of rollover accidents.

I’m not surprised that this one is a head-scratcher for CHP traffic investigators. Rollover accidents on the surface are hard to figure out. But as California products liability attorneys who have represented numerous victims of rollover car accidents over the years, we know that most of these accidents especially those involving SUVs and pickup trucks occur because of defective design. In some accidents, the fatal or catastrophic injuries are actually caused by a defective auto product such as a weak roof or seatbelt failure.

Product Liability Issues in Rollovers

In this case, officials say Baltazar was not buckled up. In most rollover traffic accidents, in my opinion, investigators tend to conclude rather hastily that if the person was ejected from the vehicle, he or she was most likely not buckled up. Well, in my experience, it could certainly happen because of seatbelt failure. An expert will be able to tell based on seatbelt fibers and marks on the body of the injured person, whether he or she was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the car accident.

The family of Manuel Garcia Baltazar would be well-advised to consult with a reputed California personal injury lawyer who is experienced and has a successful track record in representing injured clients who were involved in rollover accidents. The Chevy pickup truck must certainly be preserved in its current state, unaltered, so it can be examined for product defects, mechanical malfunction and other evidence.