Car Accidents and Defective Tires
When a motorist operates a vehicle with defective tires, they put themselves and anyone else on the road at serious risk. Defective tires are not ideal for maintaining good traction on the road, which increases the risk of losing control of your vehicle. Defective tires are also unreliable in terms of their structure and susceptibility to sudden failure, which can contribute to catastrophic, even fatal, collisions.
When tires fail, it’s important that people in Sugar Land, Katy, and Richmond, TX speak with a skilled car accident attorney. Travis B. Terry and Jackson R. Reed would like to explore the issue of tire defects and what causes them in more detail below.
Risk of Tread Separation
Tread separation occurs when the tread portion of the tire rips away from the rest of the tire. This can lead to partial or complete detachment of the tire tread. This leads to loss of vehicle control and the risk of single-car and multi-vehicle crashes.
In the case of complete tread separation, the tire tread can be launched from the moving vehicle. When hurled at high velocity from the momentum of spinning wheels (consider highway speeds), this loose tread can break side windows and even windshields, causing severe harm.
Risk of Blowouts
Blowouts occur when pressure within the tire weakens part of the tire’s structure. Eventually, the weakened section of the tire blows out, causing the tire to flatten suddenly. Drivers who experience a sudden blowout may lose control of their vehicle.
Blowouts are much rarer these days than other kinds of tire problems. Regardless, they are still a possibility and have to be taken seriously.
Other Issued Posed by Defective Tires
In addition to tread separation and blowouts, there are other tire defects that can put drivers and other people on the road at risk:
- Zipper Sidewall Failure - This is an explosion of the tire’s sidewall. While it may occur as part of a blowout, it’s usually a hazard while inflating a tire. This puts motorists as well as mechanics and service technicians at risk of injury.
- Bead Fracture - The tire bead is the term for the inner circle of the tire edge that connects to the tire rim. Fractures of the bead can cause low-pressure tire explosions.
Reasons Why Tires Were Defective
There are numerous reasons why a tire may be defective.
- In cases of faulty design, the tire is inherently dangerous in the way it was created and developed. For instance, a tire’s design may make it more likely to experience blowouts or tread separation, making it dangerous by its very nature.
- In cases of shoddy workmanship, issues with the manufacturing process may have led to tires being made below industry safety standards. For instance, the wrong materials may have been used to make a tire, or there was insufficient quality testing before the tire entered the market.
- In cases of poor distribution, tires might have been stored improperly, making them more prone to wear and tear and increasing the risk of failure.
Whatever the case may be, our auto accident and product liability attorneys are here to hold tire companies as well as distributors and sellers accountable if their practices contributed to a collision.
Learn More About Defective Tire Lawsuits
For more information about your legal options after a serious collision, be sure to contact our team of injury accident attorneys. You can reach Reed & Terry LLP at their offices in Sugar Land, Katy, and Richmond by calling (281) 201-0988.