A 50-year-old San Marcos man identified as Michael Quinn was killed in an Escondido rollover accident on January 18, 2009. According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Quinn died after his car veered off the highway onto the median and then rolled down a steep embankment.

Quinn was also ejected onto the Interstate 15 when his car overturned, California Highway Patrol officials said. However, CHP officials also say Quinn was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the rollover accident. He was taken to an area hospital where he died an hour after the crash.

I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Michael Quinn. Please keep them in your prayers.

What concerns me the most about this news report is that Quinn was buckled up, but he was still ejected from his Scion. If I were a member of Michael Quinn’s family, I would definitely want to know how his seatbelt failed at the time of the accident. Quinn’s family would be well-advised to contact a nationally-renowned auto product defect attorney, who has specifically dealt with seat restraint failures.

Seatbelt defects are unfortunately way too common, especially in rollover accidents where the intensity and impact of the crash can be significant. If I were representing Quinn’s family, I would start by having an expert examine the Scion for seatbelt defects or seatbelt failure.

A seatbelt system can fail in a variety of ways. An alarming number of side release belts are prone to false latching and many end release belts are likely to unlatch during a crash. Our firm has seen many cases of restraint system failure involving seatbelt mounts, buckles, webbing and grabbers. It is very important that Quinn’s family preserve the crashed Scion in its damaged condition so that the vehicle can be carefully examined by an expert for these and other auto product defects.

A resourceful auto product defect attorney will have the body of the ejected person examined for evidence of seatbelt bruising and marking. They would also test the webbing microscopically for marks, blood stains or other indicators that would prove that the seatbelt was in use at the time of the crash and its failure caused the victim to be ejected. The best California vehicle rollover accident attorneys will provide a free and comprehensive consultation and case evaluation.