Cooper Tire & Rubber Lawsuits
Cooper Tire along with its outlet, Pep Boys, has been in the news quite frequently accidents related to their tires. While more often than not, companies produce safe tires, there are stringent safety procedures put in place in order to prevent accidents on the highways. Each year, companies fail this standard due either to cutting corners during manufacture or simply by accident.
The two most dangerous and common tire defects involve the treads separating from the body of the tire and sidewall issues that are caused by defects in the manufacturing process. When tires blow out, especially at high speeds, the tendency is for the driver to lose control of the vehicle. More often than not, the driver attempts to turn against the direct their car is headed and this causes their car to flip over. If you ever see a car flipped upside down on the median, that is probably a tire-related accident. Cooper Tire has been implicated in a number of these.
The tire defect attorneys at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert have successfully recovered millions of dollars for our clients who were injured in defective tire accidents. If you have been injured or a someone you love died as a result of a defective tire, contact our law firm. We will fight for your right to be compensated for your loss.
Cooper Tire Blamed for Fatal Accident that Killed Five
One of the more recent examples of a lawsuit against Cooper Tire was a particularly tragic accident in which five Texans lost their lives. The driver was driving a 2003 GMC Envoy loaded with 11 passengers. According to the lawsuit, the Envoy’s right rear tire suffered a tread separation that resulted in the tire rapidly deflating (blowing out). The vehicle rolled over hitting a road sign.
The lawsuit alleges that all 11 passengers were injured when the Envoy’s tire blew out. Five of the passengers—all children—were killed. The complaint alleges that tire’s design itself was defective. Lawyers believed that there were alternative tire designs that would have been both “technologically and environmentally” feasible for Cooper manufacture.
Cooper’s attorneys responded by saying that the tire was safe when it left the warehouse and sold to the driver and that the driver “materially altered” the condition of the tire which led to the tread separation and tragedy.
The “It was a Third Party’s Fault” Defense
In some cases, tire accidents are attributable to a third party, which is why this is a legitimate defense. But the question then arises: Why would a third party or the plaintiff “materially alter” the condition of the tire. Another question that arises is: How does one “materially alter” the condition of the tire in such a manner that it causes the treads to separate?
Contact a Tire Litigation Attorney
Halpern, Santos & Pinkert have secured multi-million dollar verdicts against negligent tire companies. If you’ve been injured in a tire-related accident, we can help you too. Please give us a call or contact us online and we can begin discussing the details of your case today.
