Semi-Truck Tire Blowout Claim in St. Louis, MO

tire blowout claim in St. Louis, MO

Semi-trucks – also called big rigs, 18-wheelers, or tractor-trailers – are massive vehicles with 10 tires on the tractor and eight tires on the trailer. If any of these tires suffer a blowout while in operation, it can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle with potentially tragic results.

If you’ve been injured in a semi-truck tire blowout accident in St. Louis, you could be entitled to compensation for your medical treatments, pain, suffering, lost wages, and other losses.

At Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, we have helped many people in similar positions get the compensation they deserved for accidents that weren’t their fault. We can put that experience to work for you. We have the resources and commitment to investigate the cause of the blowout, determine who is liable, and negotiate with insurance companies for the compensation you deserve. If the liable parties try to fight back, we won’t hesitate to take them to court.

Ready to find out what your semi-truck tire blowout claim in St. Louis is worth? Contact Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC today for a free consultation with a truck accident lawyer.

What to Do If You’ve Been in an Accident Due to a Truck Tire Blowout?

What you do after an accident caused by a truck tire blowout can have a major impact on the compensation you can recover afterward. If possible, you should:

  • Call the police so they can conduct an investigation and prepare a written report.
  • Take photographs or videos of your injuries, the accident scene, and the surrounding environment.
  • See a doctor without delay to treat your physical injuries.
  • Consider seeing a mental health professional for help with your emotional and psychological well-being.
  • Record everything you can remember about the accident as soon as possible, while your memory is still fresh.
  • Keep a journal of your physical pain and any negative thoughts and feelings you are left with, as this can help when calculating pain and suffering.
  • Refrain from posting about the accident to social media, as your words can be used against you later.
  • Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company or its insurer.
  • Follow through with all recommended medical appointments.
  • Consult with the St. Louis semi-truck accident lawyers at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC.

Our St. Louis Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help with Your Case

At Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC, our St. Louis semi-truck accident lawyers can thoroughly investigate the accident, preserve evidence, determine liability, and negotiate aggressively with all responsible parties. If an insurance company doesn’t offer you the full compensation you deserve, we can take them to trial to pursue your rights.

As we prepare your claim, we will:

  • Assemble an emergency response team, including truck accident lawyers, a private investigator, tire experts, and an accident reconstructionist. Our team will include a researcher able to retrieve and interpret any “black box” data from the truck’s electronic data recorder. This data will provide information about what the truck was doing in the lead-up and at the moment of the accident.
  • Photograph, measure, survey, and videotape evidence at the accident scene.
  • Acquire and examine police reports of the accident.
  • Locate, interview, and obtain statements from eyewitnesses.
  • Secure court orders to examine and preserve evidence related to the truck, its tires, its maintenance records, and the driver’s log.

The results from our team’s thorough investigation will determine how and why the semi-truck tire blowout occurred. We will then identify all the potentially responsible parties, as there may be more than one.

Once we have done that, we can build a convincing case for the full compensation you need and deserve to protect your financial future.

What Is a Semi-Truck Tire Blowout Accident?

When the structural integrity of a tire suddenly fails, the pressurized air inside the tire is almost instantaneously released into the environment, causing the tire to explode. Rubber fragments from the exploded tire and other objects propelled by the escaping air can seriously injure people nearby. The scraps of rubber from a blowout can cause other vehicles to crash.

A tire blowout is not the same as a flat tire, in which air leaks out slowly over time. Usually, the vehicle driver has enough time to regain control and steer the vehicle safely out of traffic when a tire goes flat. But when a tire blows out, the driver may suddenly lose control of the vehicle, causing the truck to sideswipe cars traveling in adjacent lanes or veer into oncoming traffic. Due to its high center of gravity, a truck swerving from side to side is likelier to roll over, potentially initiating a chain reaction collision with the vehicles behind it.

Any accident involving a truck has the potential to cause devastating, even fatal injuries. In one recent year, 4,842 people died in large truck crashes, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). Seventy-one percent of these fatalities were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 13 percent were non-occupants like pedestrians. Truck accidents are far deadlier for other road users than they are for truck drivers.

Why Do Truck Tires Blow Out?

What causes a tire blowout? The answer lies in the tire’s composition. Truck tires are approximately 34 percent natural rubber, 11 percent synthetic rubber, and 21 percent steel. The remaining 34 percent are chemicals added to reinforce and strengthen the rubber and to prevent it from breaking down when exposed to temperature and other elements.

The most common cause of a tire blowout is tread separation or detachment. The rubber treads are chemically bonded to steel belts, and then this entire structure is connected to the sidewalls. When the steel belts underneath the tire’s rubber treads become disconnected, the treads separate from the metal rim, and rubber tire pieces explode into the air.

Such tread separation can be caused by:

  • Manufacturing defects – Defective tires are inherently unsafe and prone to sudden failure during operation.
  • Maintenance and repair issues – Underinflation or overinflation can cause tire pressure inconsistent with the tire manufacturer’s recommendations, while incorrectly mounting a tire can exacerbate wear and tear.
  • Damage from road hazards, especially potholes – Any damage to the tire’s structure can cause it to fail suddenly, resulting in a blowout.
  • Aging factors – When rubber is exposed to oxygen, it dries out, becomes stiffer, and starts to crack. Instead of the rubber flexing with the steel as the tire rolls, it breaks apart. Tires must be replaced regularly to avoid age-related issues.
  • Use of spare tires – Such tires are meant for emergencies and not long-term permanent use.

Tires that are balding or have tread burn are also likelier to blow out. Tread burn occurs when a tire’s treads break down due to overheating caused by friction with the road surface. As the tire heats up, tread burn can cause it to burst or malfunction. Other potential causes for tire blowouts include overloaded or unevenly distributed cargo, which results in too much pressure on some tires relative to others.

What Are My Options After a Trucking Accident in St. Louis

Generally speaking, you may have two legal options for recovering compensation after a truck tire blowout accident: an insurance claim against the truck driver and related trucking companies and a products liability claim against the tire manufacturer.

Because of their propensity for causing severe damage in the event of a collision, truck carriers must carry hefty liability insurance policies to cover accident victims. You can file a claim against this policy, at which point you will negotiate with the adjuster to arrive at a settlement. A lawsuit involves going to court, where a jury or judge acting as factfinder will decide how much money you are entitled to from the liable parties.

Who Is at Fault in a Tire Blowout Accident

The trucking industry involves many different parties operating in concert to load, transport, and deliver cargo, and to operate and maintain the vehicles that carry it. Any one of the following parties could potentially be at fault when a tire blows out and causes an accident:

  • The truck driver
  • The trucking company
  • The maintenance mechanic
  • The tire manufacturer
  • The cargo-securing equipment manufacturer
  • The government entity responsible for maintaining roadways

Why the truck driver? A semi-truck driver must comply with regulations to conduct pre- and post-trip inspections, which include the truck’s wheels, rims, lugs, and tires. If the driver fails to complete the inspections, they may be at fault for a blowout accident.

Truck Fatalities Due to Tire Blowout

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that 644 traffic fatalities were tire-related in one recent year. That same year, Missouri reported 119 fatalities from crashes involving large trucks. Tragically, the vast majority of these fatalities are avoidable, and those left behind deserve to be compensated for what they lost. A wrongful death claim can provide surviving family members the compensation they need to get their lives back on track after a tragic loss.

Consult with Our St. Louis Truck Accident Lawyers

Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC has an award-winning team ready to help you and your family pursue compensation for a truck tire blowout accident in St. Louis. Contact us online for a free, no-obligation evaluation. We are eager to learn more about your situation and how we can help you demand compensation for what you’ve been made to suffer.