The Detroit News, "Thousands killed, hurt as auto roofs collapse"

Penny Shipler remembers the Chevrolet Blazer rolling over and over, then the sound of the roof crashing down over her head. When it finally stopped, she tried to move. "I was thinking get out, I had to get out," she said. "I thought I was getting out." But the Nebraska woman was paralyzed, her spinal cord crushed on impact with the metal roof that caved in around her.

It's the hidden risk in any rollover accident, whether the roof stays intact or collapses with catastrophic results. Each year, an estimated 7,000 people are killed or severely injured in rollovers in which the roof crushed, according to federal statistics. Yet Detroit's Big Three automakers, armed with political muscle and reams of research, have fought costly upgrades to a 33-year-old roof-strength standard, even while their own European operations build and test stronger roofs.