Tire Defect Leads To I-95 Tractor-Trailer Crash

In mid-October 2024, a tractor-trailer overturned on I-95 when an SUV swerved directly in front of it after tire trouble. The crash blocked traffic on southbound I-95 in St. John’s County for hours, but eventually reopened after cleanup. Thankfully, no one was injured in the crash – but it is easy to imagine how an injury might have occurred had both drivers not acted quickly to avoid a crash.

More Common In Large Trucks

While tire malfunctions do happen in smaller vehicles like SUVs, they are actually more common in large trucks, and can very easily cause accidents because it is so common for a tire problem to result in the truck driver losing control of what is quite a large moving vehicle. There are a host of different reasons why such a thing might occur, and while sometimes, accidents simply happen, it is much more common to be able to lay the fault at the door of another actor – either a driver, a maintainer, or someone else entirely.

In truth, a driver is less likely to be at fault for a tire malfunction than other parties, but sometimes, the manner in which a tractor-trailer is driven can result in blowouts or flats. A driver may choose to be reckless in the roads they choose, or they may fail to check the tire pressure at appropriate intervals. Regardless, if a tire malfunctions, it can put the driver’s life in danger as well as those of anyone around them.

Other Actors May Be Liable

In addition to a tractor-trailer’s driver, the other most common entities held liable in cases involving tire problems are the vehicle’s maintainer, and the manufacturer of the tire. The potential liability for the maintainer of the vehicle is easy to state; if they fail to appropriately maintain the tires, they may be liable for any injuries their lack of action causes. If a maintainer fails to, say, replace a tire with worn-out treads, and the tire explodes, there is a direct cause of action against them by any injured plaintiff.

If the tire is well maintained, yet it malfunctioned anyway, it may be that the tire was faulty to begin with. Florida law recognizes three different causes of action in the realm of product liability: design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn. A design defect is fairly self-explanatory; it means the design was flawed from the start; a manufacturing defect means that the item was manufactured in a way as to make it dangerous; and a failure to warn is when a product is inherently dangerous as created, but no warning is given to its consumers. The first two may apply in a tire blowout case.

Call A Tampa Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney

While thankfully no one was harmed in the I-95 accident, a tire blowout can and does cause injury and death on a regular basis, particularly when large vehicles like tractor-trailers are involved. If you have been injured in this type of crash, a Tampa tractor-trailer accident attorney Tampa tractor-trailer accident attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group is ready to try and assist you in seeking compensation. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation.

Source:

news4jax.com/news/local/2024/10/11/tire-malfunction-ends-in-crash-overturned-semi-truck-on-i-95-in-st-johns-county-fhp/