A car overturned on Westborough Road in Westcliff on Tuesday afternoon, becoming at least the third such incident in Southend in just a matter of weeks.
Emergency services, including police officers, paramedics, and a specialist vehicle recovery team, responded swiftly to the scene. The vehicle was left on its roof, blocking a section of the road and drawing attention from nearby passers-by.
A string of vehicle rollovers
This latest crash comes just twelve days after a similar incident on 27 March, when a car flipped onto its side on Salisbury Avenue, also in Westcliff, at around 10:30am. A man and a baby were inside that car at the time at were taken to hospital.
Just days later, on 3 April, another vehicle overturned – this time in the car park at Southend Hospital. That crash required a specialist recovery operation to safely remove the vehicle.
What causes a car to overturn?
- Tripped rollovers happen when a car’s wheels strike an external object, such as a curb, pothole or another vehicle, which causes the car to tip over.
- Untripped rollovers, on the other hand, are usually due to a combination of speed, sudden steering manoeuvres, and road conditions, which can cause a vehicle to flip based on its own dynamics.
Although more common with taller, top-heavy vehicles like SUVs and vans, any car can potentially overturn under the right (or wrong) circumstances.
Residents voice their concerns
Some locals are starting to wonder whether something more systemic is behind the sudden spate of crashes.
“It’s not normal to see this many cars overturning in such a short space of time,” said one Westcliff resident who lives near Westborough Road. “Whether it’s speed, road layout, or just bad luck, it’s definitely unsettling.”
Photo by Brad James.