Truck Tire Blowout Accidents

If you have ever had a blowout while driving on the highway, you know how frightening it can be and how difficult it is to maintain control of your 3,500-pound vehicle. That loss of control is magnified when the blowout happens to an 80,000-pound loaded semi-truck.

The truck tire blowout and subsequent loss of control can cause the semi to jack-knife, serve into the lane of oncoming traffic, or even cause a fire. Even if the driver maintains control of the vehicle, tire debris can fly around and cause damage to other nearby vehicles.

In some cases, a blow-out can happen due to no fault of the driver. The driver may have unavoidably run over a nail or other debris or driven through a pothole. If you were injured in an accident caused by a truck tire blowout, you may have the right to be compensated for your injuries.

Common Causes of Truck Tire Blowouts

Trucks generally carry heavy cargo and a fully-loaded semi-truck weighs approximately 80,000 pounds. The constant friction of the tire with the pavement causes the tire to quickly deteriorate. Some common causes of truck tire blowouts are:

• Tire pressure is either too low or too high.
• Tires that leak air.
• Defectively manufactured tires.
• Use of retreads instead of new tires.
• Unbalanced cargo or cargo overloaded.
• Dangerous road conditions.
• Mechanical failures, for example, bent axles or loose wheel bearings.

Who is Responsible for an Accident Caused by a Truck Tire Blowout?

When someone is injured due to a truck tire blowout, there may be one or more persons responsible in addition to the driver. Those entities may be:

• The owner of the truck, including the driver and the trucking company, if the blowout was due to improper tire maintenance.
• The trucking company, if state and federal safety requirements for tires were not followed.
• The tire retailer if the tire is found to be defective.
• The manufacturer of the defective tire.
• The municipality that is responsible for maintaining the road if the blowout was due to a defective or dangerous road condition.

How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

Discovering who was responsible for the blowout accident can be complicated. An experienced personal injury attorney knows how to investigate the accident and determine who may have been at fault.

The personal injury attorneys at Springer & Lyle can help you obtain the reasonable compensation you are entitled for your injuries, lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other physical damage. Contact us at 940.387.0404 for a free consultation.