Continental Compensates Children of Mississippi Couple Killed in Tread Separation Crash

Our team at The Ammons Law Firm recently won compensation for four children of a Mississippi couple who were left orphaned after a serious crash. The victims died after the right rear tire on the 2004 Ford Expedition the couple was driving on the highway failed through tread separation. The sudden tire disablement caused the Expedition to leave the roadway and strike a tree. The couple suffered fatal injuries in the crash and their death at the scene was witnessed by their two youngest children who were passengers in the Expedition.

The tire that failed was a Continental ContiTrac SUV Tire which, in the lawsuit Rob Ammons filed, was alleged to have been defectively designed and manufactured. According to the lawsuit, adequate bonding of rubber components had not been achieved during the tire’s manufacture, and the tire’s design lacked a feature known to prevent tread separations. The Ammons Law Firm also contended that the tire had been poorly assembled, further compromising its durability.

It was also noted that, although the tire had very good remaining tread depth and only extremely modest wear, it was 12 years old at the time it failed. No information or warnings about how materials in a tire degrade over time, regardless of whether or not the tire is placed into contact with the road, were provided to the consumer by Continental. Similarly, Continental gave no recommendations to avoid placing an old tire (e.g., over six years of age) into service. The tire’s advanced age likely factored into its failure.

One child of the deceased couple is special needs and will never live independently. It was determined by his parents that he would be taken care of by them for the next thirty years. As a result of their deaths, it will be necessary to find a long-term solution for the child’s living situation. The loss of support services to the child was projected at over $1.2 million.

The Ammons Law Firm has a nationwide personal injury practice and our attorneys focus on tire defects, truck accidents, rollovers, consumer protection and product liability, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seatbelt defects, airbag defects and plant explosions. If you think you have a case, we want to hear from you.

Contact The Ammons Law Firm today if you need legal representation after a serious car accident.