Fort Dodge, Iowa — One person was seriously injured when the front tire of a semi-truck had a blowout on Highway 20.
According to reports, the incident happened in eastern Webster County on Thursday morning when the front tire of a 2000 Mack semi-truck blew out, causing the truck to cross the median and collide with the rear axle of a 2021 Freightliner.
The collision caused the 2021 Freightliner semi-truck to overturn, and the driver, Richard Allen Aldrich, was life-flighted to receive medical care. The 2000 Mack semi-driver did not sustain any injuries.
No updates on Mr. Aldrich’s condition have been provided.
Thoughts on Steer-Axle Tire Accidents
Sadly, steer axle tire failures are happening across the country at an alarming rate. Innocent truck drivers are being seriously injured and killed on our roadways due to this rising trend — this should never become the norm. Manufacturers need to be held responsible, and certain tires need to be removed from our roadways to keep truck drivers and the rest of the motoring public safe.
When manufacturers produce tires that fail because of defects or structural flaws, truckers who suffer serious injuries have a right to hold the manufacturer responsible. Trained professionals can examine the tire in this accident and determine exactly why it failed. If it is defective, the injured driver deserves answers from the manufacturer.
On the other hand, the trucking company and driver should not be able to escape liability if it’s determined the tire was not defective. It is unfair for someone to point to a tire blowout and escape liability by claiming the crash was outside their control. Non-defective tires do not fail unless someone messes up. This could be that the tire was not installed properly, or perhaps it was not properly maintained or repaired. In this case, the truck driver and company should answer for their mistakes.
Whatever the cause of the tire blowout, the injured man deserves answers and a right to recover the compensation needed to fully recover from all losses suffered.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, with extensive experience in complex auto/tire defect and commercial vehicle cases.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
