Spend any time driving along a Texas highway or interstate and you’re bound to come across large shreds of rubber in the road. These chunks are all that remain of truck tires that blow out and disintegrate while the truck is in motion. This dangerous situation can lead to severe truck accidents for which multiple parties may be liable.
How Tire Blowouts Lead to Serious Truck Accidents
The safe operation of a large commercial vehicle depends on properly inflated tires. When one or more of those tires suddenly lose pressure or explode, it can catch the driver off guard and make the vehicle difficult to control.
The driver will likely have trouble steering the truck, and its braking performance may also suffer. Unless they can steer their vehicle to the side of the road and bring it to a safe stop, a truck accident is highly likely to occur.
Possible Causes of Truck Tire Blowouts
Tire blowouts don’t just happen. They’re often the result of specific circumstances, such as:
- Manufacturing or design defects within the tire that make it unsuitable for regular use
- Driving over uneven road surfaces, especially when speeding or carrying heavy loads
- Pulling a trailer that’s overweight when the tire is under- or over-inflated
- Continuing to drive on a tire that’s heavily worn and in need of replacement
The parties responsible for allowing these circumstances to exist can differ, but each situation is an example of negligence. In other words, negligent conduct lies at the heart of many tire blowout accidents.
The Truck Driver’s Liability for a Blowout Truck Accident
Truck drivers bear primary responsibility for their trucks and can often be held liable when a crash results from a tire blowout. Truckers who fail to perform adequate and regular inspections of their vehicle components, choose to drive on worn tires, or drive aggressively and recklessly can be sued for damages if these issues lead to a blowout.
Trucking Company Liability
Trucking companies often have large insurance policies, as they can be held vicariously liable for the negligent actions of their drivers and other employees. A trucking company may be found at fault if it:
- Failed to perform adequate maintenance and repair on its trucks and trailers
- Directed employees to use a vehicle that needed its tires repaired or replaced
- Deliberately or carelessly overloaded a trailer or failed to ensure that the vehicle’s tire pressure was appropriate for the load
- Failed to train or supervise its employees to recognize and report worn or defective tires
- Encouraged or permitted its drivers to violate federal or state laws
When attempting to prove a company’s liability, experienced truck accident lawyers may request and analyze the company's internal communications, video surveillance footage, training manuals, and similar evidence. Obtaining this evidence can be difficult, which is why hiring an experienced truck crash lawyer is essential.
When Can Tire Distributors and Manufacturers Be Held Liable?
Tire blowouts can occur even if the truck driver and the trucking company did nothing wrong. In such cases, a savvy truck accident attorney will investigate to see if the tire manufacturer or distributor is liable for selling a defective tire. If so, these companies can be held responsible for the crash and ordered to pay damages.
Design defects occur when a flaw in a product’s design makes it inherently unsafe for its intended use. Manufacturing defects, meanwhile, arise when one or more tires are produced in a way that doesn’t conform to the tire’s design specifications.
The Importance of a Thorough Investigation
It may not immediately be clear who bears responsibility for your truck accident. Instead, you’ll likely have to unravel the series of events leading up to the crash to identify the specific circumstances that caused the tire to fail. Further investigation will then be needed to determine the parties responsible for creating those circumstances.
Without a detailed investigation, you may lack the evidence needed to support your claim against the truck driver, the trucking company, or the tire manufacturer. This could lead to you settling your case for less than what you might otherwise receive, or to your claim being denied outright.
FAQ
What Damages Can I Recover Following a Tire Blowout Crash?
As with any other auto accident, you can seek compensation for your economic and non-economic losses after a wreck caused by a tire blowout. This includes compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and anguish, and other impacts.
Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer for My Truck Tire Blowout Accident Case?
Whether you need a lawyer’s assistance or not depends on how clear the evidence is that negligence led to the tire’s failure and the resulting crash. In most cases, however, working with an experienced truck accident lawyer will offer a decisive advantage and make your claim more likely to succeed.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim After a Tire Blowout Crash?
No matter the cause of the accident, your claim will be subject to Texas’s two-year statute of limitations. This means you must generally bring your claim for damages against the appropriate party within two years of the accident.
Trust Ramsey Law Group to Help You With Your Case
If you’ve been hurt in a truck accident caused by a tire blowout, contact the skilled legal team at Ramsey Law Group for a free consultation. We’ll work quickly and diligently to help you gather strong evidence and pursue fair compensation for the injuries you’ve sustained.