Los Angeles Injury Attorney Blog

The San Bernardino County Coroner's office reported Friday that two men from Los Angeles were killed in a rollover accident Thursday, March 4th on Interstate 40, near Ludlow. The accident occurred at about 1 p.m. on eastbound I-40, just west of Kelbaker Road. The victims were identified Friday as Thomas Getty Thate, 54, of Los Angeles and Brett Hugh Lekie, 43, also of Los Angeles. According to reports, Thomas Thate was driving the 2001 Mercury SUV when for unknown reasons, he lost control of the vehicle and it overturned several times. Both men died at the scene of the crash.

Please keep the families of Thomas Thate and Brett Lekie in your prayers as they are coping with this tragic accident and sudden loss. Our sympathy goes out to everyone who knew and loved both men.

This is not the first fatal SUV rollover accident near Ludlow this year. On January 13, 2010, a 77-year-old Arizona woman died in a Toyota SUV rollover crash on westbound I-40 near Ludlow.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident. According to reports in the Press-Enterprise, both men were wearing seat belts. The weather was cool and clear, so it is unlikely that weather conditions or poor visibility contributed to the accident. Fatalities in SUV rollover accidents such as this one involving a 2001 Mercury SUV, are often caused when the roof collapses in a rollover crash. Vehicles with stronger roofs have fewer deaths than vehicles with weaker roofs, and Ford Explorers, Mercury Mountaineers and Mazda Navajos made between 1999 and 2002 have some of the highest rates of driver death. Ford Motor Company has paid out hundreds of millions in settlements to victims and their families injured or killed in SUV rollover accidents.

While this accident is under investigation, the families of both men killed in this rollover accident would be well advised to speak with a SUV rollover accident lawyer about their rights in a wrongful death claim. An attorney can have a rollover accident expert inspect the vehicle and determine if a defect in design or roof crush caused this accident or the fatalities of both occupants. The families of both victims may consider suing the vehicle's manufacturer for the wrongful death of their loved ones in a product liability lawsuit.