Tire Tread Separation Leads to SUV Rollover Due to Unstable Design

FACTS & ALLEGATIONS:

Martha Doe, 50, Felicia Public, 31, Carolyn Smith, 52, and Alexandria Jones, 6, were passengers in a 1998 Ford Explorer SUV when the vehicle’s left rear Cooper Sentry AP Sport R/V tire experienced a tread separation and failure.  The driver lost control of the SUV, which rolled over.  Public and Smith were ejected from the vehicle, and Doe was partially ejected.

Doe suffered a diffuse subarchonoid hemorrhage, a C5-6 laminar fracture, a right maxillary fracture, and an avulsion laceration injury to the scalp.  She continues to suffer from headaches and memory and vision problems.  Public suffered a concussion; a laceration of the right patellar area, a fracture of the right distal tibia, sprains of the cervical, thoratic and lumbar spine, bilateral shoulder sprains and bilateral knee sprains.  Wizer suffered head trauma, a left eye hemorrhage, a fracture to her right pinky finger and a right chest wall contusion.

Jones suffered abdominal abrasions from her seat belt and continues to suffer from headaches.

The suit against the manufacturer of the SUV alleged that its design was inherently unstable in that it has a relatively narrow track and a high center of gravity.  Plaintiffs also alleged that the SUV’s roof lacked sufficient strength to protect occupants during a foreseeable rollover, that the plaintiff’s seatbelts failed to restrain them during the rollover and that the windows were inadequately glazed in that the side and rear windows were made of tempered glass rather than laminated glass.

RESULT: Settlement Confidential

If you or a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of others, call or click here to contact the Houston seatbelt defect attorneys at The Ammons Law Firm today for a free consultation.

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 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.