No one thinks they will get into a car wreck when they start driving. But when faulty products, specifically tires, are released into the market, accidents become a major possibility.
Blown tire accidents can cause drivers to lose control, crash into other objects or drivers, and cause thousands of dollars worth of medical bills and economic damages. If you suspect that a defective tire caused a car accident, you might just be right.
As part of personal injury law, manufacturers should be held accountable for the products they release into the market.
At the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, our team is here and ready to help. We have years of experience analyzing cases and vetting evidence to prove when accidents are the fault of a defective tire.
We can help you seek to secure damages for your medical bills and all other losses. Contact us to schedule your free initial consultation with one of the members of our team by calling (404) 777-8800 or contacting us online.
Why Work With an Atlanta Defective Tire Accident Attorney?
Being involved in a car accident can lead to catastrophic injuries and possibly even fatalities. As the victim of this unforeseen situation, you and anyone else involved may face injuries that take months, as well as dozens of doctor’s appointments and physical therapy sessions, until you completely recover.
Some individuals may even be left with life-long disabilities as a result of their defective tire-related crash.
However, proving that a defective tire caused a car accident can be difficult. There can be many points of impact, multiple parties, and contributed negligence from more than one person.
Especially with cases that involve a defective product, your claim will likely involve negotiations with multiple parties, including other lawyers, insurance companies, and other parties involved in the accident.
But, when you work with a defective tire accident attorney, you can place your trust that they will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of your case.
Negotiating with other parties, especially corporate attorneys, takes skill, experience, and strategy. Dealing with these parties can quickly become overwhelming, and it is something that not everyone can handle on their own.
Corporate legal teams are known to pressure victims to settle for lower amounts to minimize liability and prevent any negative public reactions.
While there is no law requiring that you work with a legal team to settle, it is always encouraged so that your damages aren’t undervalued by a hasty settlement offer. Thanks to your attorney’s dedication and experience, you can also focus on healing and get back into your routine instead of managing the cumbersome aspects of your claim.
At the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, you can expect exceptional service from our team as we guide you toward a favorable settlement for your case. With our experienced litigation team, we can quickly review reports, medical documents, and the opinions of expert witnesses.
We will gather all the details needed to evaluate and build your case while helping you access the services you need to fully recover from your accident.
Car Accidents Caused by Defective Tires Are Nothing New
Most Atlanta residents depend on their car as a main mode of transportation. Whether it is to take their children to school, go to work, run errands, or for family trips, cars are essential to the daily function of many families in an area with limited alternative transit options like ours.
The cars we see today are built to be the safest they have ever been, but accidents still happen. Even with safety tests and other methods used to prevent faulty products, like tires, from entering the marketplace, the components we depend upon can sometimes fail us at the most inopportune time.
Multiple times over the past few decades, tire manufacturers have negligently released defective products to devastating effect. In 2000, Firestone Tire was under severe scrutiny for negligently selling defective tires that would blow while cars were in operation, causing over 400 injuries and 18 deaths in that year alone.
Even more recently, as of January 2023, Goodyear is under criminal investigation for knowingly releasing defective products to the public and causing RV accidents that killed eight people and injured many others since 2017. Instead of Goodyear recalling the product after learning of its defectiveness, they left the faulty tires in the market, further creating more accidents, deaths, and likely millions of dollars in total damages.
Recalls for the G159 tire were announced by Goodyear in 2022, about 19 years after the last tire was made. This delayed recall affected over 170,000 tires and caused many accidents nationwide.
The recall was only announced after Goodyear was investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2017 after discovering they had spent many years attempting to settle outside the courts.
The bottom line is that manufacturers are liable for products offered to the public and must take reasonable action to remove them from the market if they are defective. When they fail to design safe products or fail to respond in a timely manner to reports of defects, they can be held responsible for the resulting injury costs and other damages.
What Causes Defects in a Tire?
A tire defect will lead to a blowout, which releases air quickly and causes the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Under the most tragic circumstances, these accidents can be fatal to all involved.
Tire defects usually happen during the design or in the manufacturing process.
Overall, tire defects commonly occur when there is:
- A belt separation
- Tread separation
- Issues with the rubber compound
- An improper tire patch or repair
- Tires that do not fit the car model and size
- A retread failure
- Design defects
- Age and baldness
- An air pocket
The consumer is responsible for ensuring that all tires are maintained and replaced routinely to prevent accidents. This includes checking and replacing tires before they go bald, checking for punctures and getting needed repairs, and checking their tread routinely to ensure there are no visible defects on any of their tires.
Even after taking all of these precautions, however, consumers can still be caught off-guard by sudden blowouts. When this occurs, they can explore their options for seeking compensation with the help of an attorney team experienced in litigating defective tire claims.
NHTSA Testing Requires Stringent Testing and Development Before Tires Are Released to the Public
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration takes vehicle safety seriously. Established in 1970, the Highway Safety Act was created to reduce loss of life, injuries, and economic damages usually involved in car accidents.
Since 1978, they have consistently required testing of all cars before they hit the market, including the car itself, seat belts, tires, and more.
What Should You Do if Your Tire Blows Out?
An accident that involved the catastrophic failure of a tire is terrifying. A driver must think quickly to prevent a loss of control and a collision.
Whether the tire that goes is in the front or back, the tips to stabilizing your car are relatively the same. Here are a few to consider:
- Try to stabilize your vehicle by slowly releasing the accelerator, and do not slam on the brakes
- Hold the steering wheel with both hands to prevent loss of control
- Steer your vehicle in the direction of any swerves rather than trying to fight them
- Look for the closest safe shoulder to pull into; avoid stopping in the median when possible
What Kinds of Accidents Are Caused by Defective Tires?
An accident caused by a blown-out tire can be deadly. It becomes easy for drivers to lose control, and when they realize their situation, their fight-or-flight response is triggered.
While there are steps that drivers can take to minimize the effects of the failure of their tire, sometimes it is not fast enough, or enough at all, to prevent a collision.
Accidents caused by faulty tires commonly involve the following factors.
A Loss Of Control
Losing control of a vehicle means that you cannot easily guide the car to stop safely. Loss of control can happen when a tire blows, a driver takes a sharp turn, swerves, or spins.
When a driver loses control of their car, they can easily crash into other drivers that are sharing the roadway.
Rollover
A rollover happens when a vehicle loses balance or strikes a “trip” obstacle, like a curb, causing it to land on its side or roof. Especially when the driver is on the highway at high speeds, it is possible to swerve in a way that will overtake the vehicle’s center of gravity and make the car flip.
Fortunately, rollover accidents usually do not involve other cars, but the injuries to its passengers can still be substantial, often fatal.
Runoffs
Losing control of your car can mean that you depart from the paved road surface. Whether the failure of a tire causes you to get side-swiped by another driver or veer in another direction altogether, it can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
There is a possibility that going off the road will cause a direct collision with a building, fence, or treeline. To make matters even worse, if there are sidewalks on the right of way, it can lead you directly into pedestrians, turning a terrifying situation into a potentially fatal one.
Our Atlanta Defective Tire Accident Law Firm Knows What Injuries to Look For
Car accidents caused by a defective tire can have some dangerous implications for someone’s quality of life. A tire that blows at high speeds on the highway can lead to spin-outs, head-on collisions, rollovers, and more, all of which are likely to cause serious injuries and, potentially, a loss of life.
The exact nature of resulting injuries will depend on many factors, like whether they were wearing their seatbelt, the speed at the time of the blowout, the passenger’s position in the vehicle, if there were other cars involved, and the nature of the point of contact with other vehicles or objects on the road.
Injuries seen in tire-related car accidents are:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
- Whiplash
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Neck injuries
- Muscle strains
- Lacerations
A Defective Tire Car Accident Lawyer Is Ready to Help You Seek Appropriate Damages
Seeking legal assistance is recommended if you want to come to a desirable settlement amount with the manufacturer and insurance companies. Your Atlanta personal injury attorney will provide legal representation, resources, and strategy.
They will focus on calculating any incurred medical costs and loss of wages because of injuries or taking time off to receive medical care. After preparing your claim, they will gladly present and conduct any negotiations with other parties on your behalf.
Common damages sought in the wake of a defective tire accident include:
- Medical bills, past and future
- Lost wages, including reductions in earnings or loss of benefits
- Out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident and injury treatment
- Compensation for replacement of the tires or vehicle
- Pain and suffering
Working with a legal team that knows the ins and outs of defective tire cases greatly increases your chances of securing a settlement that reflects your case’s worth.
Tire Blowout? Talk to An Atlanta Defective Tire Accident Law Firm
Being involved in a car accident caused by faulty tires can lead to serious injuries and death in the worst accidents. Manufacturers will be quick to reject any liability and look for ways to pin the responsibility on the driver involved.
While it can be expected that they will react this way, you can have confidence that the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm will have your back and do what it takes to hold any liable parties accountable for your injuries.
At the initial consultation with our legal team, we expect to provide a case review with confidentiality and no commitment. Reach out to us to schedule your free appointment when you call (404) 777-8800 or contact us online.
