Robert Isaac Naidis, 86, and his wife, 83-year-old Maria Naidis, sustained major injuries in a car accident on the Interstate 5 in Colusa County after he lost control of his Subaru Outback SUV and it rolled over. According to a news report in the Colusa Sun Herald, Robert Naidis was driving on the 5 Freeway near Hahn Road the morning of November 23, 2009 when he was either forced off the road by another vehicle or had drifted into the center divide.

He overcorrected and went across both lanes of traffic and over the right shoulder of the freeway causing the SUV to roll into a field. California Highway Patrol officials are still trying to determine who or what caused this major injury crash. Naidis and his wife, both from Bend, Oregon, were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their serious injuries.

I sympathize with this elderly couple who have obviously sustained severe injuries in this car accident. I hope both of them recover quickly and completely from their injuries. Please keep this couple in your prayers.

Rollover Accident Statistics

According to CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), six fatalities and 135 injuries were reported as a result of car accidents in Colusa County in 2007. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that there are about 10,000 rollover accident fatalities in the United States each year. This number accounts for about 25 percent of all traffic accident fatalities in the country.

Rollover accidents can be devastating and the cause of catastrophic injuries, mainly because of the intensity of the impact on the car's structure and roof. A number of SUV models are more prone to rollovers because of their lower track width and higher center of gravity.

In this particular case, I would be very interested to find out whether this accident was in fact, caused by another driver who ran Naidis off the road. If that did occur, then, what happened here was a "non-contact hit-and-run." What that means is although the other vehicle did not make physical contact with the Subaru, it caused the accident.

Those Negligent Must be Held Responsible

In some cases, drivers don't even realize that they have run someone off the road. However, in this case, given the location of the accident, I doubt the driver of the other car failed to see the SUV go off the road and rollover. There is also the possibility that a vehicle defect in the Subaru caused this car accident. If that was the case, the auto maker could be held liable for the couple's injuries.

In any such accident, an experienced California personal injury lawyer with extensive experience handling rollover accidents, will be able to analyze all aspects of the case and hold those negligent accountable. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer will also be able to explain to victims how their car insurance policy will apply to a hit-and-run accident or to an incident involving an uninsured/underinsured driver.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.