However, in all roof crushes cases, a biomedical-engineer or biomechanical expert must be hired to study the medical records, physical injuries and the vehicle in which the injured person was an occupant. Only after a thorough inspection, can the tail prints of the injury be determined. Rollovers are not of course confined to SUVs, as small subcompacts also have a high rollover rate as well. The smaller the vehicles, usually the less deformation of the roof during a rollover. In fact, larger American vehicles and especially pick-up trucks can not withstand a rollover without serious roof crush.
Roofs crush as a result of an energy assault or over compression of the roof supports.
This is caused when the vehicle is inverted and begins its downward path of the vehicle and its center of gravity into the roadway or the ground. At that moment the roof pillars start to crush under this energy assault to its structure. To the untrained observer, roof pillars of most vehicles appear solid and sturdy, especially strong enough to withstand a roof crush in a rollover. The surprises come through when one looks at a cross-section of the pillar. Therefore, when impact occurs the metal folds over into the empty inner space allowing more folding or crushing to continue.