SUV Tire Blowout Causes Death, Serious Injuries

One man is dead and two others are seriously injured following a serious car crash in Illinois when one of the rear tires blew out on a Dodge Durango. The vehicle was traveling east on West 82nd Street in Chicago when the back tire blew. The driver lost control of his SUV causing the car to veer up onto the sidewalk where it struck a light pole and a tree. One man who was a passenger in the SUV at the time of the accident was pronounced dead at the scene. The police have yet to reveal the man’s identity. They are likely reaching out to family so that they can hear the news first.

The two others in the vehicle at the time of the accident were the driver, a 22-year-old who suffered injuries to his face and a 15-year-old boy who is in intensive care. Police described the boy’s injuries as life-threatening and told the news that he had internal injuries.

Why Did the Tire Blow Out?

Generally speaking, when a tire blows out while a vehicle is in motion, the determination as to who is liable depends on why the tire blowout occurred.

For instance, if the City of Chicago left a massive pothole on the road that caused the tire blowout, then the City of Chicago could be held liable for accident. Attorneys for the plaintiffs would need to show that the City of Chicago either knew or should have known about the pothole and fixed it before the accident occurred. Additionally, if some road debris made its way off of a poorly-secured pickup, then the pickup truck owner could be held liable for the accident.

There is also the chance that the driver recently had the tires changed. In that case, whoever installed the new tire could be held responsible for the accident. If the tire was manufactured defectively, it could be that the tire’s manufacturer is liable for the accident.

If the owner of the vehicle wants to bring a cause of action against the tire company, there are some hurdles that they will have to face. Firstly, the tire itself provides the best evidence of liability in a cause like this. If tread separation caused the blowout, a tiny manufacturing defect could be to blame. But that assumes that the tire was still under warranty and inflated properly.

Generally speaking, the majority of tire blowouts occur because the tire is simply too old to drive on and the driver has not been diligent enough about rotating or replacing their tires. In other cases, the driver drives on a tire that is not inflated enough or overinflated. Both can cause serious damage to the tire that accumulates over time. It can place added stress on the sidewalls and cause tread separation. So proving that operator error was not the primary cause of the car accident becomes a primary concern for attorneys who represent tire accident victims in personal injury lawsuits against the manufacturer.

Talk to a Florida Tire Liability Attorney

If a tire blowout contributed to your injury, call the Coral Gables tire defect attorneys at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert immediately to determine whether or not you’re owed money by the manufacturer.

Resource:

chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-wrightwood-crash-suv-tire-blowout-man-dead-20200123-4ertk3wzfnekfp53trvospjwhy-story.html

https://www.tiredefectattorney.com/how-many-people-die-each-year-due-to-tire-blowouts/