Tire blowout accidents can happen when a vehicle’s tire pressure is too high or when a tire becomes punctured on the roadway, such as by a piece of glass or a nail. When a car or truck tire blows out, it can cause the motor vehicle operator to lose control of their vehicle and strike another vehicle. It might also cause the driver to veer off the road and strike another vehicle. When a blown-out tire remains in the middle of a roadway, another driver might collide with it, causing them to suffer severe injuries.
Car and truck blowout accidents are not always the result of defective tires on vehicles. Instead, these accidents often happen because drivers fail to monitor their vehicles for tire pressure or defective tires. Unfortunately, this poses a significant risk for all other motor vehicle operators who are on the roadway at that time as well as for passengers in that motor vehicle.
Blowout accidents can lead to many injuries for drivers and their passengers. If you have suffered injuries due to a tire blowout accident, you have legal options and remedies that are available to you. As soon as possible after your accident, you should speak with a knowledgeable car accident lawyer about your case.
Your injury lawyer will determine whether or not you are eligible to file a personal injury claim that seeks damages. If you are eligible to recover monetary compensation, your lawyer can file the claim on your behalf and, if necessary, litigate it in court. You can rest assured that your auto accident lawyer will zealously advocate for your legal interests and work to recover monetary compensation on your behalf.
Types of Car Accidents That Result From Tire Blowouts
Tire blowout accidents can lead to several different types of collisions. First of all, if a tire blows out in the middle of the roadway, an oncoming motor vehicle might strike it, resulting in a massive multi-car pileup. These accidents happen when the front vehicle strikes the blown-out tire, another vehicle strikes the first vehicle, and so on, resulting in numerous impacts.
Tire blowout accidents can also result in sideswipe collisions on a busy, multi-lane roadway. When a driver’s tire blows out, they might lose control of their vehicle, causing it to collide with another vehicle moving in the same direction. Finally, tire blowout accidents can lead to single-vehicle collisions. If a driver’s tire blows out and they lose control over their vehicle, they might strike a stationary object on the side of the road, such as a tree, planter, or median strip. In single-vehicle accidents, passengers riding in the vehicle can suffer severe injuries.
If you have suffered injuries in any of these accidents that resulted from a tire blowout, a car accident lawyer can review your case with you and determine your legal options. Your lawyer can then file a claim with the negligent driver’s insurance company on your behalf in hopes of obtaining full and fair compensation for the injuries you suffered.
What Causes a Tire Blowout Accident and Who Is Responsible?
Tire blowout accidents can happen under a variety of circumstances. In some instances, these collisions happen due to faulty manufacturing and defective tires. However, the more common cause is motor vehicle owner negligence.
Motor vehicle owners and drivers must ensure that their tires are in good repair at all times. Specifically, they are responsible for monitoring their tire pressure regularly and replacing worn-out tires within a reasonable time. When the owner of a vehicle fails to take these actions and a motor vehicle accident occurs, they must pay for the accident victim’s injuries through their motor vehicle insurance.
Are Tire Blowouts Strictly for Cars?
Some tire blowout accidents result from blowouts on large trucks, including tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, and big rigs. These vehicles have many wheels, and if one of the tires blows out, it can cause devastating injuries and damages.
Truck drivers and the trucking companies that employ them—just like the owners and operators of passenger vehicles—are responsible for making sure that they properly replace defective tires on tractors and trailers in their possession. When they don’t, and a serious collision occurs with another vehicle, they can be responsible for the injuries that result in a truck accident.
What Should I Do if I Get Injured From a Tire Blowout Accident?
If you have suffered injuries in a motor vehicle tire blowout accident, you should speak with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer as soon as you possibly can. Your lawyer will evaluate your case and determine your eligibility for filing a claim. Your lawyer can then submit a settlement demand package to the insurance company and work to negotiate a favorable offer that fairly compensates you for your injuries.
If the insurance company does not offer you full and fair compensation, you then have the option of litigating your car accident case in the court system.
Proving a Personal Injury Case That Involves a Tire Blowout
In a personal injury matter that involves a tire blowout, the accident victim has the legal burden of proof. Therefore, they are responsible for satisfying all of the elements of their claim to be eligible for monetary compensation. First of all, the accident victim must show that the driver/owner of the other vehicle violated their duty of care by failing to properly maintain their vehicle tires. The accident victim must also demonstrate that this negligence caused their injuries.
Proving that a person negligently failed to maintain their tires can sometimes be a difficult task. In many instances, it will be necessary for a personal injury lawyer to retain the services of an expert, such as an accident reconstructionist.
An expert can review the evidence in the case, such as the tread on the tires and the general condition of the tires, to determine whether improper maintenance led to the tire blowout accident. If a car or truck accident resulted from a blowout and injured you, your injury lawyer can examine the evidence and retain the necessary experts to prove your case.
Common Injuries That Accident Victims Suffer in Tire Blowout Accidents
The injuries that an accident victim suffers in a tire blowout accident will depend upon various factors, including how the accident occurred, the force of the vehicle’s impact with the blown-out tire, and other circumstances. Often, when a tire blows out on a vehicle or when a vehicle strikes a blown-out tire, the accident victim’s body will move around inside the vehicle in an abrupt manner, resulting in severe injuries.
Moreover, the force of the impact might cause a part of the accident victim’s body to hit something in the vehicle, like the steering wheel, doorframe, console, headrest, or window.
Common injuries that often result from tire blowout accidents include severe head injuries, cuts, abrasions, bruises, soft tissue injuries, internal injuries, and broken bones.
If you have suffered any of these injuries in a tire blowout accident, you should always seek medical treatment right away. Take an ambulance or have someone take you to a hospital emergency room or urgent care facility where a healthcare provider can examine you thoroughly. The provider can also take the necessary imaging studies, like X-rays, brain scans, and MRIs, to ascertain the full extent of your medical condition.
Finally, the provider can make recommendations for follow-up care in the future. For example, the provider might recommend that you consult with your primary care doctor or follow up with an orthopedist or another specialist provider who can assist you further.
If you have suffered injuries in a tire blowout accident, a car accident lawyers is ready to help. Your lawyer can begin gathering up all of the documentation necessary to prove your case, including your medical records to prove your injuries, while you concentrate on recovering from your injuries. Once you have completed your medical treatment, your lawyer can file a claim or lawsuit in the court system that seeks monetary recovery for the injuries you suffered.
How to File a Personal Injury Claim in an Accident That Results From a Tire Blowout
If you can prove that the owner or driver of a motor vehicle negligently injured you after failing to repair their tires or maintain them in the proper condition, you may file a claim seeking compensation. As part of a personal injury claim, which your lawyer can file on your behalf, it will be necessary for you to complete all of your medical treatment.
Once that is done, your lawyer can submit a settlement demand letter, along with copies of all of your diagnosis records and other bills you incurred from your injuries. Your lawyer can include lost wage documentation, photographs, eyewitness statements, and other documents that are pertinent to your case.
Assuming the at-fault driver’s insurance company accepts fault for the accident, your accident lawyer can negotiate with the insurance company adjuster to see if a favourable settlement is forthcoming. If the insurance company refuses to offer you the compensation that you need, your lawyer can litigate your case by filing a lawsuit in court.
Although the case can still settle along the way, the parties will start moving towards a resolution—either at a trial or during an alternative dispute resolution proceeding, such as mediation or binding arbitration. Your lawyer can assist you throughout every step of the claims-filing litigation process and will work to get you the compensation you need.
Pursuing Compensation for Accident-Related Injuries
Injuries in a tire blowout accident can be extremely severe and, in some cases, deadly. In addition to hospital emergency room services, an accident victim may need surgery, additional doctor visits, and physical therapy.
Recovering from an injury can be extremely costly to you in pain, suffering, and lost income. You may not know where to turn next. Fortunately, a car accident lawyer can file the necessary claim or lawsuit to get you the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
The types of damages, and the amounts of those damages, vary on a case-by-case basis. In some instances, tire blowout accident victims suffer extremely severe and permanent injuries, like traumatic head or brain injuries, spinal cord damage, or paralysis. The more severe an accident victim’s injuries are, the more compensable the case from a settlement or verdict perspective.
Less severe injuries, like soft tissue injuries, usually do not garner the same settlement or verdict results as a more severe injury such as a severe brain injury claim. In any case, however, your car accident lawyer will work to maximize your monetary compensation through aggressive settlement negotiations and trial advocacy skills if the case goes to court.
The value of a car accident claim can account for the extent of the medical treatment and procedures that the accident victim underwent, as well as the specific injuries that the accident victim sustained.
Victims of tire blowout accidents can claim economic damages, which include lost income and other out-of-pocket costs. In addition, they can pursue various non-economic damages, including compensation for inconvenience, suffering, pain, loss of the ability to use a body part, permanent damage, loss of quality of life, cost of future care and loss of spousal consortium. A car accident lawyer will fight for your right to recover the maximum amount of compensation available to you in your case.
Speak to a Car Accident Lawyer Near You Today About Your Legal Matter
If you have suffered injuries in a tire blowout accident that resulted from a car driver or owner’s carelessness and negligence, you have legal rights and options. A skilled car accident lawyer will tell you those options and can work to get you the compensation you deserve.