Oregon Tire Blowout
Accident Attorney

We Handle Truck Accident Cases Caused by Tire Blowouts in Oregon

X

A tire blowout can turn an uneventful day into a chaotic, frightening, and hazardous situation. Uncertainties about what to do next after such a sudden and dangerous occurrence are normal. Addressing your injuries should be your priority, so seek medical attention immediately.

For legal guidance, many Oregon trucking accident victims turn to professionals. At Johnston Personal Injury Law Firm, we focus on restoring our client’s financial well-being and peace of mind. Our wide-ranging experience and extensive resources equip us to thoroughly investigate and successfully resolve tire blowout cases.

Would compensation for your property damage, medical bills, and lost wages make a difference in your recovery? Schedule a free consultation to explore your options and receive valuable guidance. Contact us to discuss your tire blowout accident case and find the best path forward together. 

Examining the Causes of Tire Blowouts

In 2021, over 5,900 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes across the United States, an increase of 18 percent over the previous year. Clearly, preventing truck accidents should be a prime concern for trucking companies and drivers. 

Addressing tire problems before they worsen enough to cause a crash could save lives. What, though, are common reasons tires explode?

Manufacturing defects

A manufacturing defect occurs when a product departs from its intended design due to processing errors. The resulting products can be dangerous for consumers. 

In particular, tires are vulnerable to tread separation and blowouts, often prompted by:

• Carcass embossing: Incorrect placement of the membrane during the baking process, causing the tire fibers to break and separate
• Carcass rarefaction: Overstretching of internal materials during production, leading to connection problems
• Open tread connection, shoulder-part tread separation, or belt separation: Dirt, oil, or water contamination during the assembly process, creating weak spots
• Belt misalignment: Incorrectly installed steel belts that create pressure points on one part of a tire
• Poor-quality materials: Low-quality rubber or other materials, making weak points within the tire structure
• Improper curing and assembly: Incorrect curing or assembly processes, leaving air pockets or other defects

Poorly manufactured tires are more prone to blowouts. If someone is injured or killed due to these defective products, a personal injury attorney can bring a lawsuit against the manufacturer. However, sometimes tires become damaged after the manufacturing process. 

Trucking company or truck driver error 

New tires must be appropriately stored as soon as they leave the assembly line until they are installed on a commercial vehicle. Safety hazards include when the tire is squished, scratched, or stored in extreme temperatures. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency with a mission to reduce crashes, regulates the trucking industry. For instance, the FMCSA sets weight limits for trucks and their cargo. 

A truck carrying too much weight puts excessive pressure on its tires. This pressure buildup due to improper cargo loading practices could lead to a sudden blowout. 

Improper maintenance and overloaded trucks could place liability on trucking companies. Yet, truck driver negligence can also play a role in tire blowouts.

To illustrate, let’s consider the effects of speeding. Tires have speed ratings that indicate the optimal speed the tire can maintain over time. A truck driver should never drive faster than the tires can handle. His or her job duties might also include checking tire pressure since this rating assumes that tires are correctly inflated. 

Driver fatigue is another issue that could result from:

• Lack of sleep
• Poor-quality sleep
• Extended work shifts
• Tiring work duties

Trucking companies and owner-operators are responsible for following the FMCSA’s hours-of-service regulations that limit driving hours and enforce mandatory off-duty times and breaks. Truck drivers should also watch their diet and medications and pull over for short naps with 15-minute recovery times before resuming the trip. 

Staying alert behind the wheel gives truckers the best chance of responding appropriately if a tire blowout does occur. Thus, a trucking company should strive to follow federal regulations to protect their truck drivers, other motorists, and anyone else sharing the roads. 

Failing to heed FMCSA tire guidelines

Few things can jeopardize the safety of a vehicle as much as its tires. Since tires come in direct contact with the road, their condition matters. Proper maintenance is essential to keep tires in working order. The FMCSA guidelines listed below can assist trucking companies in maintaining safe tires on commercial vehicles. 

Inspect tires daily for the following and immediately bring any issues to the attention of a mechanic:

• Irregular or inadequate tread
• Cracks
• Bulges
• Cuts
• Foreign objects (e.g., nails, stones, glass, pieces of metal)
• Damage

Check cold tire pressure. The air inside a tire heats and expands as a vehicle is driven, increasing tire pressure. Therefore, you get the most accurate reading from tires that haven’t been driven on for at least 3 hours. Remove or add air according to tire manufacturer specifications.

Only use appropriate rim-tire combinations. Rims are metal frames that hold tires in place. Each tire has a specific size based on width, aspect ratio (height), and diameter. For example, a commercial truck could have a tire size of 275/80R22.5 146/143M, meaning a tire width of 275 millimeters, an aspect ratio of 80 percent of the width, and a 22.5-inch wheel diameter.

A truck’s tires will meet many types of roads, endure variable weather conditions, and carry thousands of pounds for miles. Every trucking company has a responsibility to care for its fleet’s tires. If negligence leads to a truck tire blowout, catastrophic injuries, and property damage can result.

Don’t miss out on these common personal injury mistakes.

Get the legal counsel you need to guide you through the process of filing an injury claim.

Assessing the Devastating Effects of Truck Accidents

An improperly inflated tire can wear unevenly. An overloaded truck could cause excessive heat build-up and internal structural damage to the tire. Mismatched rims and tires can wear and tear prematurely, cause an uneven distribution of pressure, and put excessive stress on certain parts of the tire. 

Any such scenario is a recipe for disaster. These imbalances can cause tires to blow out or explode, sending commercial trucks that weigh tens of thousands of pounds careening out of control.

As a trucking accident victim, you might know all too well that a trucking accident can result in these horrific consequences:

• Property damage
• Lost wages
• Emotional turmoil
• Injuries
• Wrongful death

Did your Oregon trucking accident occur because a trucking company failed its duties? Did a truck driver speed or take sharp turns, putting extra stress on the vehicle’s tires and causing a preventable trucking accident? A truck accident attorney can investigate the cause of the accident to determine who is liable and ensure justice prevails.