Causes of Connecticut Tire Blow-Out Truck Accidents

Many licensed drivers have likely experienced a flat tire in their driving career. Although it can be unsettling to hear and feel the air suddenly rush out of a tire, most drivers are able to safely pull their vehicle to the side of the road. A tire blowout – when a tire does not deflate but actually explodes – can be a much more terrifying and dangerous situation. A car tire blowout can cause the car driver to suddenly lose control of the car and crash. When a commercial truck experiences a tire blowout, the results can be even more devastating; not only is the truck driver likely to lose control of the semi, but in doing so they may crash into one or more other vehicles and cause serious and even fatal injuries.

Unfortunately, you cannot predict when a truck’s tire will have a blowout. If it causes a Connecticut truck accident, the attorneys at McEnery Price Messey & Sullivan would investigate the following causes: 

• Improper tire maintenance. A truck owner and/or transportation company has a responsibility for making sure a truck and its component parts are in good working order. If a part, such as a tire, has obvious signs of wear, the company must prevent the truck from being used until the part is repaired or replaced. Not only this, but truck owners and companies must ensure their trucks are regularly serviced by a qualified mechanic so that any non-obvious defects can be detected and corrected.
• Improper tire pressure. Truck tires should be properly inflated to reduce the chances of a tire blowout. Where a tire is overinflated, the pressure of the air inside the tire can cause the tire material to fail and break. Similarly, when a tire is under-inflated, the air inside the tire can expand and cause a blowout due to the increased heat present inside an under-inflated tire.
• Road hazards. A tire can explode if it runs over something. Potholes and cracks in the pavement, for example, can cause catastrophic damage to a truck’s tires that result in a blowout. Although a truck driver or truck company is not responsible for the care and maintenance of public roadways, a truck driver may nonetheless act negligently and contribute to a tire blowout if they strike such an obstruction at an excessive speed if they could have taken steps to avoid the hazard.

When a commercial truck suffers a tire blowout, there is oftentimes very little the truck driver can do to control the truck. A driver who is aware of the blowout may attempt to safely stop the vehicle; however, depending on which tire suffered a blowout, the driver may not be able to do this. A blowout on an isolated road may only result in injuries to the truck driver, but a semi-truck tire blowout on the highway can result in a multi-car crash that results in several injuries or fatalities.

If you or your loved one was injured in a Connecticut truck accident, contact our firm immediately. We will begin an immediate investigation into your accident and work to protect your long-term interests.