Tire Failure Blamed for Fatal Rollover Crash
A Kansas man died recently after a tire failed on his pickup truck leading to a rollover crash. The accident happened at 6:43 AM. The man was driving a 2008 Ford F-250. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say that the man’s rear driver-side tire failed leading to the accident. The pickup truck went off the road, spun out, and then flipped over. It’s unclear whether the tire manufacturer can be held liable based on the information presented in the article.
Ford has been hit with several lawsuits related to their relationship with Firestone who manufactured their tires for decades. These lawsuits alleged that defective Firestone tires coupled with the topheavy design of the large SUV, resulted in over 240 deaths and 3000 catastrophic, life-altering injuries in the earlier generation of vehicles. However, Ford is still facing major lawsuits involving rollover accidents.
Ford Hit With $151M Verdict After Rollover
This year, Ford got hit with a $151 million verdict after a man was left paralyzed after his 1998 Ford Explorer rolled over. One-hundred-million of that $151 verdict was punitive damages. The plaintiff was able to successfully argue that Ford attempted to cover up a design flaw that failed to meet its own safety standards. The man was only 24 years old and will now spend the rest of his life paralyzed.
In 2015, the plaintiff was a passenger in the 1998 Explorer when the driver swerved to avoid hitting an animal on the road. The Explorer rolled over twice and exited the road. According to the lawsuit, engineers for Ford had advised the company that there was an undue risk of rollover in the design of the Explorer. But instead of fixing the problem, Ford changed the testing process and then destroyed data from the original tests. The largess of the verdict was directly related to Ford’s conduct.
Roof Crush Lawsuits
Ford has also been hit with several lawsuits related to their super duty trucks. Plaintiffs had filed lawsuits claiming that the roofs of Ford F-250s and F-350s have a dangerous risk of getting crushed when the vehicle rolls over. In the case mentioned above, it’s distinctly possible that the roof collapsed with the driver still in the cabin and that directly resulted in the man’s death. It’s also possible that the tire played some role in the accident.
When a vehicle that is built on a truck platform is engineered safely, the cabin of the vehicle is not destroyed or crushed if the truck rolls over. Since top-heavy vehicles like true SUVs and trucks do have a rollover risk associated with them, drivers must be that much more careful about handling the vehicle. Additionally, auto manufacturers must be careful about the design of the cabin. Vehicle cabins should not be crushed under the weight of a top-heavy vehicle.
Talk to a Defective Tire Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured by a defective tire or any defective auto part, the Coral Gables tire defect attorneys at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert can help you file a lawsuit against the negligent company. Talk to us today for a free consultation.
Resource:
montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/02/16/selma-man-awarded-151-m-ford-rollover-lawsuit/2890824002/
kansas.com/news/state/article236221168.html
https://www.tiredefectattorney.com/recent-injury-highlights-flying-tire-accidents/
