Continental Tire Pays After Tread Separation Causes Fatal Crash

Resolution has been reached in a lawsuit filed by The Ammons Law Firm against Continental Tire on behalf of a Texas woman and her three daughters who were injured in a tragic rollover crash that also resulted in the death of the woman’s mother. The victims will receive monetary compensation.

The family members were traveling in a 2003 Ford Expedition when the tread on its left rear tire peeled off, sending the Expedition out of control and causing it to roll over.

The tire that failed was a Continental ContiTrac SUV tire provided with the Expedition as its original equipment spare. At the time the tire came apart, it was 13 years old, had been in service for only a short time, and looked practically new. Its tread was hardly worn.

Allegations in the lawsuit focused on two areas of fault. First, Continental Tire failed to warn or inform of the effects of tire aging and the need to either avoid placing an old tire in service or to replace it with a recently built tire. Second, Continental Tire’s ContiTrac SUV was not properly and safely designed and built.   It was alleged that substandard materials and ineffective processes were used in making the tire and that a design feature known to prevent the tread from separating from the carcass was not included in the tire’s design.

In the tragic crash, a beloved grandmother lost her life, and her daughter and granddaughters suffered serious injuries ranging from traumatic brain injuries to spinal fractures and damage to internal organs. In addition to the daughter’s wrongful death damages resulting from the loss of her mom, some $200,000 in medical expenses were incurred to treat the injuries suffered by those who survived the crash. The costs of future necessary care added to the family’s damages.

According to Ammons, “Scores of old but never before used original equipment spare tires are placed into service every day by folks who have no idea that they are unsafe simply because of their age. Aged tires with internal degradation that is not visible to a consumer or user pose grave dangers to motorists.”

The Ammons Law Firm has a nationwide personal injury practice focusing on tire defects, truck accidents, rollovers, consumer protection and product liability, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, and plant explosions.