Tires are among the most easily worn down parts of a vehicle. But because they are technically separate from the bulk of the car, most owners do not consider their maintenance a high-priority issue. Despite appeals from several United States Presidents asking car owners to maintain even slightly improved care of their tires, de-treading, manufacturer-level defects, and tire blowouts continue to pose a hazard in San Antonio and elsewhere. While we cannot change driver behavior directly, the attorneys at Carabin Shaw are committed to properly identifying the cause or causes of accidents involving tire defects. Only by rigorously investigating such causes can our tire blowout and defective tire lawyers accurately assess fault and make sure all the responsible parties are properly fined, which leads to safer driving practices in the long haul.
Worn tires, tire de-treads, and tire blowout can cause serious accidents, such as cars, vans, and trucks of all sizes swerving into other vehicles or houses and buildings along the road. Other related issues can include, but are not limited to: tire defects - crashworthiness - SUV rollovers - fuel fires - and other hazards.
At Carabin Shaw, our attorneys believe that the more information we can provide the people of San Antonio, the better informed they will be in making decisions regarding an accident, the possible causes of that accident, and the causes of any injuries or deaths. Too often have our tire blowout and defective tire lawyers come across cases where the information that was most helpful to our client was already public knowledge. Again, as stated earlier, one of the reasons for such miscommunication is that many car owners do not view their tires as an integral part of their vehicle. According to our San Antonio tire defect attorney, this is the kind of mindset that contributed to the Firestone tire debacle of the early 2000s.
Reports of crashes and fatalities from across the country prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS) to investigate. Their investigation uncovered a major defect in Bridgestone/Firestone tires, which was eventually linked to more than 300 crashes. The defect in the tires caused tread separation, which in turn caused rollover accidents involving Ford Explorers. Ford announced a recall of all 14.4 million tires, and the litigation that followed received widespread publicity and severely harmed tire manufacturer Bridgestone.
During the trials, however, their top tier lawyers argued that tread separation, the chief culprit in this case, could also be caused by driving on a poorly-inflated tire for a number of months. Their claim is scientifically accurate, and while justice was still served, people in general were left wondering what role their lack of automotive care might play in these types of incidents. The distinction our attorneys draw in similar cases is that while driver behavior may contribute to a cause, it is not always the cause itself.
Our tire blowout and defective tire lawyers are here in San Antonio to make sure you receive all of the compensation you deserve in the event of an accident caused by a defective tire. Even with breakthrough cases like the one mentioned above, which make it increasingly clear that many accidents and rollovers caused by a tire blow out could have been avoided, it is important to understand that litigation against tire manufacturers is very complex. Let our attorneys help you and, by extension make the roads of San Antonio safer for everyone.
If you or a family member has been injured or wrongfully killed, call Carabin Shaw day or night for a free consultation at 800-862-1260.