Did your tire fail while you were driving, causing a serious crash? Though many people still use the term “tire blowouts” in a general manner to refer to tire failures, “tread separations” are far more common with modern tire design and construction. A tread separation refers to the peeling away of the tire tread from the body of the tire. When this happens at high speeds, the results can be catastrophic.
If tire tread separation caused your car crash, the tire manufacturer and other parties could be liable for your injuries and damages. But fighting a big corporation like a tire manufacturer is daunting.
Where do you start?
How do you convince a tire company to compensate you?
How do you prove the tire was defective?
What do you do when a corporation, its lawyers, or an insurer gives you trouble?
Should you file a lawsuit?
Our defective tire lawyers represent injured people nationwide in complex product liability cases. We are trial lawyers who pursue complicated civil litigation cases against big corporations in and out of court. We fight for the money you need to pay bills, get medical care, and put your life back together after a severe injury.
Tire Recalls (By Brand)
- Bridgestone
- Firestone
- Goodyear
Call Us Today: 888-221-5316 Free Case Evaluation | No Fee Until You Get Compensation
Do These 5 Things If Tire Failure Caused Your Crash
- Preserve the car. Do not let the insurance company take the car and destroy it. If your vehicle was already towed from the scene, find out where it is and tell the facility or yard that is holding it not to destroy it.
- Send a survey team to the scene. A photographer or survey team will document the scene. Their photographs and reports will document the location of the vehicles, tire tread, and other essential elements of the crash. A clear picture of the scene helps establish how the crash happened.
- Document and preserve the tread. The survey team should document the location of the tire tread around the incident scene. And be sure to preserve the tread itself. It is vital evidence.
- Be aware of time limits. The statute of limitations establishes how long after the incident you can file a claim. And the statute of repose establishes how long after the tires were made that you can file a claim. Be aware of both time limits, which vary depending on your state.
- Call Newsome Melton. Our defective tire lawyers will help you with every aspect of your case, including the four other items on this list. We deal with complicated cases like yours every day.
Set up a free case evaluation by calling 888-221-5316.
Which Tire Defects Cause Serious Crashes & Warrant Legal Action?
Tread Separation
Most tires in today’s market are steel-belted radial tires. To make these types of tires, two steel belts are wrapped around the body of the tire. The sidewalls of the tire help hold it together and allow a space for printing basic information. The tread is located on top of the steel belts and adjacent to the sidewalls. It is made of tough rubber and is characterized by a blocked or lined pattern. The tread is the part of the tire that makes contact with the road while driving.
Tread separation occurs when a tire’s belts rip apart from each other. This causes the tread to partially or completely detach from the tire body while the vehicle is in motion.
Insufficient tire bonding and other manufacturer defects frequently cause tread separation. In August 2000, Bridgestone and Firestone recalled roughly 14.4 million tires. This was the second-largest tire recall in United States history. The recalled tires posed major safety risks and were cited as contributing causes to more than 100 deaths and 3,000 injuries resulting from tread separation crashes.
Tire Blowout
Tire blowouts are rare these days. Blowouts occur when internal pressure in the tire builds, causing a weak spot in the tire to give way which causes the tire to pop. What most people call a “tire blowout” is usually a tread separation.
Sidewall Zipper Failure
Bead Fracture
Multi-Piece Wheel Explosions
Do I Have a Defective Tire Case?
Your case might seem straightforward to you: You were driving. The tire failed. You lost control of the vehicle. You crashed and suffered injuries.
But tire manufacturers have significant incentives and resources to fight against you. That’s where we come in. We can help you build a case that establishes these four critical aspects of product liability cases:
The Tire Was Defective
Generally, a defect must exist in the tire to hold a manufacturer or other party liable. Some examples of common tire defects that lead to tread separation include:
- Incorrect ratio or size of steel belts
- Improper separation between tread and steel belts
- Poor bonding
The Defendant Was Negligent
In a negligence action, you must connect the defect to the defendant’s (e.g., tire manufacturer’s) negligence. For example, our case may establish the defendant’s manufacturing standards fell below reasonable care due to:
- Use of old adhesives
- Improper cooking temperatures
- Contamination during production from moisture, sawdust, grease, or rust
- Poor engineering or design
Our case must then connect the defendant’s negligence to the tire defect, proving that the negligence caused the defect.
The Tire Defect Caused Your Crash & Injuries
Our case must also prove that the tire defect is what led to the tread separation or other failure that ultimately caused your crash. And we must connect your injuries to the wreck itself.
We work with survey teams, accident reconstruction experts, engineers, and other professionals who can investigate your incident and help establish the connection between the tire defect and your wreck.
You Suffered Damages
Is a Party Other Than the Tire Manufacturer Liable?
It is possible that parties other than the tire manufacturer are liable for your crash. In some cases, multiple parties could be liable. When you work with Newsome Melton, our defective tire lawyers identify all parties that might be liable for your crash.
Some parties that may be liable in addition to the tire manufacturer include:
- Automaker
- Parts manufacturer
- Tire installer
- Tire repair or maintenance company
How Do I Set Up a Case Evaluation With Newsome Melton?
You have two options to contact us for a free case evaluation:
- Call us at 888-221-5316.
- Fill out the form on the right side of this page.
These are just some of the things you get when you contact us:
- Guaranteed response within 24 hours.
- No fee until you get compensated.
- Free, state-specific case review.
- Strength, experience, and compassion.
We look forward to helping you and your family get the compensation and justice you deserve for a crash caused by a defective tire.
Defective Tire
Defective tires cause thousands of catastrophic auto crashes each year in the United States. There are more than 10,000 accidents occurring on highways and roads each year, with hundreds of casualties reported annually, and nearly half those tragedies stemmed from accident-related rollovers of SUVs, vans and pickup trucks equipped with faulty tires.
Several large manufacturers have been recalling millions of defective tires in recent years. These include such big-name brands as Bridgestone, Dunlop, Firestone, Foreign Tire Sales (“FTS”), and Michelin.
Devastating Defective Tire Damages
Skilled legal assistance is available to those who have sustained severe physical or economic damages due to unknowing usage of defective tires. Fair compensation and full accountability of all at-fault parties is attainable via established legal channels. Most damage claims are ultimately resolved via informal out-of-court remedies such as lump-sum settlements negotiated directly with responsible parties or their insurers. Legally-binding arbitration procedures are also avenues of redress available to defective tire accident victims.
Compensatory Damages
Compensatory damages are designed to provide reimbursement for injuries sustained as direct and proximate cause of defective tire accidents. Common examples are medical bills, lost income, mental anguish, and general pain and suffering.
Courts and insurers usually employ a specific formula for monetary compensation calculations. These economic equations are adjustable for fact-specific variables such as damage severity and length of time required for full convalescence.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damage awards are meant to deter subsequent misconduct that initially led to a defective tire accident by punishing responsible parties. Punitive damage statutes vary widely. Thus, it is imperative to consult a personal injury defective tire attorney licensed to practice law in the state where your accident occurred.
Duality of Legalities and Liability
As it does with distributors of other faulty auto components, the law holds defective tire manufacturers to a legal standard known as “strict liability.” This means that injured parties need not prove any prior knowledge, deliberate intent, or negligent act of a manufacturer to recover compensation.
Flawed tire designs, manufacturing or installation errors, and inadequate safety warnings or instructions are all legally valid bases for bringing a defective tire lawsuit. The law does require that any damages for which an accident victim seeks recovery must be directly related to defective tire(s). As many tire-related accidents involve multiple vehicular rollovers, consequent physical injuries can be quite severe and include:
- Crushed, broken, or fractured bones
- Severance of one or more limbs or other bodily appendages
- Catastrophic head or neck injury, including brain damage
- Temporary or permanent paralysis induced by spinal cord trauma
- Severe skin lacerations and abrasions
- Death
Primary Reasons Why Tires Fail To Perform
The wheels of ordinary passenger vehicles and lightweight trucks consist of air-filled tires made of cloth, steel, rubber, and various chemical elements. Each tire type is intended to bear a limited range of vehicular weights without compromising appropriate traction levels for intended usage scenarios. Traction is a term that denotes a tire’s relative ability to grip road surfaces without slipping during rapid tire rotation.
The majority of tires are indeed dependable and work precisely as designed. Occasional malfunctions nonetheless occur to cause accidents and severe injuries. Installation, design, and manufacturing errors involving defective workmanship or materials are the most common tire failure causes.
Excessive wear and tear is another major factor in tire-related vehicular mishaps. This occurs because rubberized implements like tires have a limited useful lifespan. The U.S. National Highway Transportation and Safety Agency (“NHTSA”) advises consumers and retailers to watch out for the following signs that typically indicate imminent tire failure:
- Belt edge separation
- Belt-to-belt separation
- Broken tread cords
- “Chunky” rhythmic rotation
- Cracked tire tread
- Obvious surface splicing
- Sudden, inexplicable tire pressure decrease
- Visible separation of tire tread, ply cord, inner beading, lining, or sidewall
Consulting with an Attorney
Competent product liability attorneys possess the specialized knowledge to conduct competent claim analyses, skillful settlement negotiations, and case preparations in dealing with defective tire litigation. Defective tire accident victims whose claims have been delayed or denied and loved ones of deceased accident victims should immediately seek competent legal advice and assistance. The latter group may be entitled to full-scale financial recovery for wrongful death against defective tire manufacturers.