Tire Failures and Truck Accidents

Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

If you were involved in a truck accident caused by a tire failure, you may have heard or seen the tire fail: the dramatic explosion, the flying debris, and the truck's sudden loss of control may be etched in your memory forever. Unfortunately, the damage caused by the accident lingers, too, in the form of serious injuries to you or the tragic loss of a loved one. Now you must deal with the injury or loss while struggling with the bills from the accident, but you shouldn't have to pay when someone else's negligence caused the accident.

Many tire failures and the large truck accidents they cause could have been prevented. Sturdy manufacturing, regular maintenance, and proper inspections can prevent many truck accidents. If you have been hurt in a truck accident caused by a tire failure, the personal injury lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel, P.C. are prepared to fight for your rights. Please call or email us today for a free consultation.

Large Truck Tires

Tires are an essential component for large trucks, as for most vehicles. A truck depends on its tires for safe and proper operation. When the tires fail, a truck can lose control and cause a deadly truck accident.

An 18-wheeler may routinely weigh 80,000 pounds, and may put as much as 20,000 pounds on one axle. Even if that axle has double tires, that distributes the weight at 5,000 pounds per tire.  By comparison, a heavy SUV like the Cadillac Escalade weighs between 5000 and 6000 pounds total. This means that large truck tires must stand up under nearly four times as much weight as those for even a heavy passenger vehicle.

Dangers of Truck Tire Failure

When a tire fails on a large truck, it can make the vehicle much more difficult to handle. The truck can skid or veer. With its high center of gravity, semi trucks are, like SUVs, likely to suffer a rollover accident after tire failure.

When a semi truck experiences a tire failure, it can dramatically alter the cab-trailer dynamics, leading to a jackknife situation.  If a tire fails on either the cab or the trailer, the one moves suddenly and independently of the other. Once cab and trailer begin moving independently the result is a tug-of-war between forces that can be very difficult to control and may reduce the truck driver to a mere spectator as the truck turns, slides, or rolls.

In addition, the debris from a burst large truck tire spreads across the highway, threatening other drivers. If you steer to avoid tire debris, you may cause an accident. On the other hand, if you strike the debris, you may lose control and be in an accident anyway.

Preventing Truck Tire Failure

Many truck tire failures can be prevented, if everyone involved in the construction, maintenance, and operation of a large truck does their job. To ensure truck tires are less likely to fail:

• Manufacturers must not make defective tires
• Trucking companies must select appropriate tires
• Trucking companies must maintain trucks and replace tires, including spares, regularly
• Truck drivers must inspect tires thoroughly
• Truck drivers must ensure appropriate tire inflation

If everyone involved does not do their part, however, the likelihood of dangerous or deadly truck accidents increases.

If you have been hurt or lost a loved one in a truck accident that might have been prevented, the personal injury lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel, P.C. are prepared to fight for you.  Please contact us today to learn how we can help.

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