Twenty-seven-year-old Jennifer Aparicio was killed in a truck crash after a tire blowout caused her to lose control of the vehicle. The accident occurred five miles west of Canton on Interstate 20 early Tuesday morning.
According to authorities, Aparicio was traveling west in a 2015 Freightliner box truck when a tire blew out, causing her to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree. Authorities arrived on the scene where they pronounced the young woman deceased.
The exact cause of the blowout was not determined at the scene of the crash.
The cause of the tire blowout must be determined to ensure wrongdoers are held responsible and the surviving family receives answers.
This is a tragic example of an innocent life lost due to a dangerous tire. It is clear from the facts that the tire of the truck was the cause of the fatal crash. However, we have little information on what caused the tire to blow out or who is ultimately responsible for the tire failing.
As tire defect attorneys, we focus our practice on crashes caused by sudden tire failures and help innocent motorists hold the parties responsible for the failure accountable for their actions. This generally can involve two parties, the manufacturer of the tire or the company responsible for maintaining the tire.
It is unclear whether Aparicio was working at the time of the crash or if she had previously rented the box truck for personal reasons. Either way, the tire on the box truck should not have failed. If the truck was rented, the rental agency had a duty to ensure the tires were in safe working condition before renting the truck to a consumer. If the truck was owned by an employer, the employer had a duty to ensure the tires were in safe working condition before entrusting the truck to an employee. If an employer or a rental agency failed to maintain the truck’s tires properly, they may be responsible for the tire failing and must account for the harm caused in the crash.
On the other hand, it may be that the tire failed due to a manufacturing defect. A tire defect occurs when the tire leaves the manufacturer unsafe for its intended purpose. Tire defects are especially dangerous because they are virtually undetectable until after the tire has failed. We have seen an increasing number of tire defects across the country, leading to sudden blowouts that have taken the lives of many of our clients. This is unacceptable, and the manufacturers of these defective tires must be held accountable in a court of law for the harm they are causing to innocent consumers.
It is too early to determine with the facts available what caused this tire to fail. However, a young woman’s life was taken because a tire blew out, and tires are not built to blow out absent error. The family deserves answers and the opportunity to hold all wrongdoers accountable for their loss.
I extend my condolences to the grieving family and pray they might find peace during this difficult time of grief.
