Commercial Truck Accidents and Tires: Where the Rubber May Not Hit the Road

If you own a vehicle, you should know how vital decent tires are to get from one place to another safely. If your tires are worn thin, unevenly, or not correctly inflated, you may blow a tire or lose traction in poor weather. Now, imagine you’re driving a commercial truck that may be twenty times your vehicle’s weight. What kind of harm might bad tires cause?

What’s the Link Between Bad Tires and Personal Injury Lawsuits?

Commercial truck accident cases typically involve truck collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, motorcyclists, or bicyclists. The fact there’s a collision isn’t enough to show the truck driver or the company hiring them or owning the truck must compensate a victim for their injuries and related costs.

To successfully sue them or pursue a claim against their insurance carrier, you, the accident victim (the plaintiff), must show they’re negligent. Under Kentucky law, negligence is proven when the evidence shows it’s more likely than not that:

• Because of the relationship between you and the defendant(s), which could include the driver, the driver’s employer, the truck’s owner, or anyone who serviced or maintained the truck, they owed you a legal obligation or duty to do or not do something given the situation. The duty requires defendants to put a reasonably safe truck on the road, to reasonably maintain it, and drive it reasonably safely (which can include checking the truck and trailer to make sure it’s safe before starting a trip). For example, allowing bald or dangerously defective tires to be on a truck on a public road or highway would breach the defendant’s duty to you and others on the road.
• Their breach or failure of that obligation or duty is the factual and legal (or proximate) cause of your accident
• It resulted in your physical, financial, psychological, or emotional harm
• Under Kentucky law, the defendant(s) must pay you damages (a measurement of your harm in dollars)

A failure to safely maintain a truck can involve several critical systems beyond tires, including brakes, steering, and the engine. Whether a system is essential in a case depends on whether it played a role in your crash and injury.

How Might Defective Commercial Truck Tires Cause an Accident?

Some potential problems with commercial truck tires include:

• Blowouts: They occur when a tire suddenly loses air pressure, leading to a rapid and often explosive failure. Causes can include overloading, underinflation, or road hazards. They may cause a loss of control, the truck may roll over or jackknife, especially at higher speeds
• Underinflation: Insufficient air pressure can lead to increased heat buildup, uneven wear, and an increased blowout risk. This may be gradually happening due to something penetrating or cutting the tire. A driver should inspect the tires before starting a trip and find out if they’re underinflated
• Overinflation: Overinflated tires decrease traction, cause uneven wear, and blowouts. The truck’s owner or another company hired to maintain the truck should not overinflate the tires
• Tread depth: Tires with insufficient tread depth or too much wear will limit traction, especially in bad weather conditions. Tread depth should be regularly checked to ensure the tires are safe. A truck owner desperate to cut costs may push back tire replacement to save some money, but it makes the truck less safe
• Tread separation: If a tire’s tread separates from its casing, it can cause a loss of control, especially at high speeds. Manufacturing defects, poor tire maintenance, or overloading can lead to tread separation
• Sidewall damage: Damage to the sidewall from impacts, cuts, or abrasions can compromise the tire’s integrity. Such damage may cause tire failure and loss of control
• Punctures: Tires may be punctured by nails, screws, and other road debris. Regular inspections and prompt repairs can prevent small punctures from escalating into more significant issues, which could cause a blowout at high speed
• Overloading: Exceeding the tire’s recommended load capacity can cause heat buildup, accelerated wear, and increase the risk of a blowout
• Mismatched tires: Tires with different tread patterns, sizes, or load capacities on the same axle can cause handling issues
• Mounting the wrong tire: Selecting tires that are unsuitable for the truck, weather conditions, or road type can lead to performance problems and reduced safety
• Aging and deterioration: Tires degrade over time. Sunlight, temperature changes, and the effects of aging can reduce tire performance and increase the risk of failure

Regular tire maintenance, including proper inflation, routine inspections, and repairs or replacements, is essential to prevent potential tire problems and accidents.

Bad Tires May Just Be Part of the Problem

Imperfect tires may function to an extent, but their faults may be exposed in an emergency, which could be caused by a fatigued or distracted driver:

• The driver may be speeding, slam on the brakes, and be unable to stop in time, or the tires might blowout
• The driver may go too fast for conditions when roads are covered in water or snow, increasing the risk of an accident when a truck’s tires don’t have enough tread to push the water or snow out of the way
• High temperatures and speed can put extra strain on tires

Often, there are multiple truck accident causes. Bad tires may be the main or a contributing factor.

Speak To A Truck Accident Lawyer Today

If you are injured in a collision with a commercial truck or another vehicle in Kentucky, Satterley & Kelley PLLC can and will help you handle legal matters with confidence. Put boots on the ground with our help.

Schedule a free initial consultation at our office in Louisville by calling 855-385-9532 or completing our contact form today.