Tire Defect Attorney Rob Ammons Files Suit Against Yokohama and Used Car Dealer Following Fatal Rollover

A 10-year-old California boy was fatally injured when a rear tire on the SUV he was riding in came apart, causing the vehicle to roll over.

The tire was a Geolander GO39 designed and manufactured by Yokohama. It was 11 years old when it failed through tread/belt separation and was on the SUV at the time the boy’s family purchased the pre-owned vehicle from a local dealer the previous year.

In the lawsuit brought on behalf of the young woman’s parents, Rob Ammons claims the Geolander was defectively designed and manufactured by Yokohama. Allegations against the tire company include that improper materials were used in building the tire and that the tire’s design did not include safety features crucial to a tire’s durability and resistance to failure through the separation of the tread from the carcass.

Rob Ammons also claims in the lawsuit that the tire’s catastrophic failure was due in large part to the fact that it was so old. Since all tires degrade to some extent over time, used vehicles should only be sold with recently manufactured tires.

“A tire over six years of age should never be placed into service. Old tires are accidents waiting to happen, and this dealer knew better. Selling a vehicle with such an old tire is simply unacceptable,” commented Ammons, “and in this case cost a boy his life.”

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers, and workplace negligence.