Learn About a Tire Tread Separation Lawsuit
Get Help When You’ve Been Hurt in a Crash Due to Defective Tires
Tire blowouts are truly frightening. One minute you’re driving along the road and the next minute your car is veering out of control. If a crash occurs, you could be severely injured or worse. And tire tread injury cases aren’t uncommon. Thousands of injury accidents every year are caused by tire defects and poor maintenance. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) records shows that in a recent year, over 600 people died on the road in tire-related crashes. As these numbers highlight, when tires suffer a sudden failure, the results can be disastrous.
When a failure that causes injuries is due to a tire defect, you could potentially get financial compensation from the manufacturer. Compensation from a tire tread separation lawsuit could pay for your medical bills and other costs of your injury accident. If a family member dies in a tire-related crash, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim.
The attorneys at Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law can advise you about your legal options if you’ve been in an accident caused by defective tires. Call us today at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 to arrange a free consultation with our tire defect lawyers.
What Is Considered a Tire Defect?
A tire defect is when something is wrong with a tire due to a manufacturing or design problem. Manufacturers make most tires with steel belting that provides structure and stability to the tire. During manufacturing, this belting must be bonded to the tread. Sometimes this bonding process is fouled by the presence of moisture, dirt, or chemicals, which keeps the rubber from bonding correctly. It may not be obvious when a tire has weakened bonding, so even if you keep your vehicle and tires well maintained, you could be a victim of sudden tire failures.
Tires may also fail if manufacturers produce them with expired or cheap adhesives, or if the tire’s design is inherently more likely to result in sudden failure.
Who Makes Defective Tires?
A series of accidents in the past caused a recall of Firestone tires costing the company over $3 billion in damages. American Pacific Industries recalled a series of tires in 2008 due to air pressure loss while in motion that caused a significant loss of control. Premature tread wearing caused tire recalls in 2006. Overall, more than 400 million such products have been officially declared unsafe or defective, forcing a number of defective tire recalls.
Other recalls for tire defects have included Goodyear’s Long Range E (which are normally installed on large passenger vans), Firestone’s Wilderness, ATX, ATX II, and Steeltex. Some Bridgestone, B.F. Goodrich, and Cooper tires have also been linked to defects and accidents. If you would like to find out if your tires have been recalled for defects, or report a possible defect, you can do that here.
If you were hurt in an accident due to defective tires, no matter what brand or model they were, we’ll fight for your right to compensation. Call us today to arrange a free consultation by dialing (713) 973-8888.
Can You Sue a Tire Company?
The Answer to This Question is “Yes”
We trust manufacturers to put out safe products. Unfortunately that trust is often misplaced. There have been numerous defective tire lawsuits filed against tire companies. Many of them have been successful and resulted in large jury verdicts and settlements. Here are a few of the more recent ones (*past outcomes cannot predict future results):
- A $33 million jury award in Texas against Goodyear that alleged a tire defect led to a fatal crash
- An $11.2 million jury verdict against Bridgestone in a defective tire retread case in which a mother and daughter were seriously injured
- A $7.2 million verdict against Goodyear when a defective tire exploded while being inflated and killed a man.
However, suing a tire company isn’t easy. You must be able to prove that their defective tire directly led to the accident that injured you. At Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law we know how to take on wealthy corporations and prove liability.
When you hire our firm, we will work diligently to hold the tire maker and any other responsible parties accountable.
How Much Can I Get from a Defective Tire Lawsuit?
Our Tire Defect Lawyer Will Advise You, Based on Your Situation
While the previously mentioned jury awards are very large, every defective tire lawsuit is different. We can’t tell you that you will have a similar result. What you could get in a defective tire lawsuit is based on the circumstances of your unique case. Generally, how badly you were injured and the degree of negligence involved will determine your damages and compensation. Here are types of damages that may be pursued in defective tire lawsuits:
- Current and future medical expenses. Medical expenses can include emergency services, doctor bills, hospital costs, rehabilitation, and more.
- Lost income. If you miss work because of your injuries or you can’t work anymore, you can ask for lost wages and loss of earning capacity damages.
- Pain and suffering. When you’ve been injured in a crash, you’re likely to have ongoing physical pain. You may also experience emotional trauma because of the accident.
- Punitive damages. These damages are meant to punish tire makers and others for gross negligence.
- Wrongful death damages. If your spouse, parent or child died due to a tire failure, you may be able to get reimbursement for funeral and burial costs, compensation for their lost earnings, lost love and companionship damages, and more with the help of a wrongful death lawyer, and more.
We Won’t Back Down if You Were Injured by a Defective Tire
Injuries from defective tire accidents can cause lifelong problems. Sometimes injured victims may need assistance to perform the basic daily tasks of life forever. You may need long-term rehabilitation. You could find yourself unable to earn a living ever again.
At Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law, we want to help victims of severe injuries get the full compensation they deserve. If you were hurt because of a tire maker’s negligence, our aggressive attorneys won’t back down in fighting to help you get financial recovery. Call us at (713) 973-8888 today to schedule a free consultation.
Who Else Can I Sue for My Injuries?
We’ll Hold All Responsible Parties Accountable
Sometimes it isn’t only tire makers that are responsible for tire failures. Other companies that maintain or service tires could potentially also be to blame, depending on the situation. These could include tire retread companies, tire shops that sell tires if they sell you the wrong type of tire for your vehicle, businesses that do tire balancing and rotating, and others. Additionally, trucking companies and other businesses that own commercial vehicles could be liable if they don’t properly maintain the tires of their trucks or other vehicles.
Likewise, owners of passenger cars with balding or poorly maintained tires may be held accountable if their carelessness leads to blowouts and crashes that hurt others on the road that drivers are responsible for maintaining their vehicles to ensure safety. Consulting a vehicle injury lawyer can be crucial in these situations, as they can help navigate the legal complexities surrounding accidents and ensure that the injured parties receive the compensation they deserve. In general, drivers don’t have to have the kind of technical knowledge that a mechanic would, but they must address any obvious problems with the vehicle. This includes issues with the windshield, steering, braking, apparent engine problems, leaks, mirrors, doors, the vehicle’s body, and its tires. Tires are not a complex piece of technology, so basic maintenance should prevent any sudden failure not caused by a manufacturer’s defect.
If, however, a driver does not perform basic maintenance on their tires, the tires may wear down to the point where they explode on the road, likely causing a major accident and leaving other motorists in danger.
When we handle your case, we’ll investigate all the evidence involved and hold all possible parties accountable, which may help to get you maximum compensation.
Questions and Answers About Tire Failures
Tread separation is when the rubber tread on the tire separates from the tire’s body. Poor manufacturing processes are one of the most common causes of tire tread separation. When the tread and belting don’t adequately adhere to the tire body, it can lead to dangerous separation, blowouts, and accidents. If this type of defect led to an accident that caused you injury, you may be able to pursue a tire tread separation lawsuit. Driving on over-inflated tires can also damage tread and lead to its detaching, because tires that are too inflated can get excessively hot. Hitting potholes or bumps at high speeds can also cause tire tread to separate. Worn out tires with brittle rubber are also subject to tread separation and consequent failures.
Tires can split on the side for various reasons. When tires get old, the rubber on the sidewalls can dry out and crack. If you accidentally scrape the side of the tire against the curb or other object, it can lead to a split. When tires get overheated, they can crack and lead to dangerous splits over time. Also, chemicals in some tire-cleaning products can harm the rubber in tires and lead to cracking and sidewall splits. Tires that are not inflated enough can split. If you exceed the recommended load on tires, they can degrade and split. Manufacturing defects can also cause splitting; this may be the case if your tires are not very old and are already showing cracks and wear.
Cracks and splits in the rubber can expose the tire’s internal structure, which may lead to dangerous blowouts.
Proper care of your tires can help prevent tire failures. Here are some brief tips for tire maintenance:
- Check your tires monthly for tread wear, proper inflation and damage, including the spare. Check inflation several hours after driving when tires are cold.
- Check your owner’s manual for how often your tires should be rotated and balanced. Then have them professionally rotated and balanced in keeping with that schedule.
- When the tread on your tires is worn out, replace your tires. One way to tell when tread is worn out is by doing the penny test. In the penny test, you place a penny head first into several grooves on the tire. If Lincoln’s head shows, the tread is worn down and potentially dangerous. But if you aren’t sure about the tread, have your tires looked at by a tire shop for an expert opinion.
Regular maintenance will not only help you avoid accidents, but it can also improve fuel economy and sluggish vehicle handling. Finding imperfections or wear early is important in potentially avoiding tire failure.
In spite of doing all you can to maintain your tires, if a tire is defective, a failure may not be preventable. Call us at (713) 973-8888 to learn about a defective tire lawsuit if you’ve been hurt in a crash.
The NHTSA gives this advice for driving during a tire blowout or other failure:
- Don’t slam on the brakes, as you could lose control.
- Hold the steering wheel with both hands.
- Try to maintain your speed (if safe to do so).
- Gradually ease up on the accelerator.
- Correct the steering as needed.
- Steer in the direction you want your car to go.
- Keep slowing as you pull off the road to a safe location.
Contact an Experienced Tire Defect Lawyer
In the aftermath of a tire failure accident, you may be left with grievous injuries that leave you unable to work as doctor bills continue to pile up. Our experienced tire defect lawyers may be able to help you recover compensation for your medical expenses, missed time at work and other damages. You can count on our car accident lawyers to stand up for your rights when your car accident was caused by a negligent tire manufacturer, an irresponsible vehicle owner, or another negligent party.
Our Law Firm Provides Free Consultations
Call Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 to schedule a free consultation. We have decades of experience helping people who have been injured or lost loved ones due to defective products. Don’t wait. Reach out to us today.
Attorney Terry Bryant
Terry Bryant is Board Certified in personal injury trial law, which means his extensive knowledge of the law has been recognized by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, setting him apart from many other injury attorneys. The 22 years he spent as a Municipal Judge, Spring Valley Village, TX also provides him keen insight into the Texas court system. That experience also helps shape his perspective on personal injury cases and how they might resolve. This unique insight benefits his clients. [ Attorney Bio ]
