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Who is Liable for a Tire Blowout?
Countless truck accidents across the country each year are caused by or in part by a tire blowout. So many tire blowouts occur that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has estimated that this type of truck part defect is among the leading causes of truck accidents overall.
Commercial truck tire blowouts can be caused by:
- Defective tires
- Incorrectly inflated tires
- Overloaded trailers
- Unsafe road quality
- Debris in the road
- Uncapped tires that leak
If you’re in a truck accident caused by a tire blowout, who is liable for your damages? Should you sue the trucker, trucking company, tire manufacturer, all of them, or another party altogether?
Trucking Company Liability for Tire Blowouts
A truck driver – and, in some cases, the trucking company that hires them – must inspect a truck before it is used. A simple and routine inspection of the truck can uncover a defective tire that is at risk of bursting while in use. The trucker and their employer could be liable for a tire blowout accident if it can be proven that inspections and maintenance were not being conducted on the truck.
In some cases, a truck driver notices a defective tire and decides to drive on it anyway because they need to make their routes. If this happens, then their liability will likely spike. It is unacceptable to knowingly engage in dangerous driving behaviors, including the willful use of defective equipment.
Tire Manufacturer Liability for Tire Blowouts
If the tire was defective for a reason outside of the trucker’s control, then liability for a tire blowout crash would likely shift to the tire manufacturer. Tires with deformed treads or thin walls, for example, can cause the tire to burst while the truck is in motion. But the truck driver and trucking company would probably not have any warning about those defects because a routine inspection is not required to go into such fine details that a thin rubber wall of a tire could be noticed.
Other third parties can also become liable for a tire blowout accident. For example, if a retailer sold a tire that it should have known was defective based on its condition at the point of sale, then the retailer could be liable. In another situation, a mechanic could become liable if they serviced the commercial truck and failed to replace the tires or at least warn the truck driver about them.
If you have been in a truck accident in Jackson caused by a tire blowout, then ‘MAGGIO LAW would like to hear from you. We can help you figure out who is liable for the crash, which might be multiple parties, and file claims or lawsuits in your name. Our team of attorneys has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation on behalf of our clients throughout the years. Take our experience and turn it into your advantage by calling (601) 265-6869 or contacting us today.