Hempstead, Texas – An incident occurred on Tuesday morning where the driver of an 18-wheeler suffered severe injuries following a tire blowout on Highway 6 north of Hempstead. The Texas Department of Public Safety has provided preliminary details of this accident.
A tire blowout at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday led to a crash near FM 2979 on Highway 6. The incident resulted in the commercial vehicle veering off the roadway and rolling onto its side.
The injured driver was transported to a Houston hospital via a medical helicopter to receive critical medical attention. Additionally, another vehicle was impacted and rolled over during the crash; however, the driver of this vehicle had non-serious injuries.
Investigation Needed to Know if This Tire Failed Because of a Defect, Manufacturer of Tire May be Responsible
Tire blowouts are dangerous and deadly. Each year, there are 2,000 tire blowout-related accidents, causing hundreds of injuries and fatalities (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2023). Tire blowouts can occur for many reasons, but sadly, there are too many cases of tire failure caused by negligence by repair and maintenance companies and/or defective tires. When this is the case, all parties to blame must be held responsible.
While we do not know all the details of this accident, we do know the 18-wheeler driver had a tire blowout. Tire blowouts in large trucks are extremely dangerous and routinely result in serious injury and death. The steer axle tire specifically, is arguably the most important tire of any vehicle. When a steer axle tire fails, as it did here, the driver of the truck and all surrounding motorists are at risk.
Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more of these tires fail because of tire defects. There are two manufacturers in specific that are producing tires that should be recalled. Innocent truckers are being injured and killed across the nation despite doing everything in their power to drive safely.
When a manufacturer chooses to put a tire on a roadway that is unsafe, they must be held accountable for the financial harm caused by their actions. This includes compensation to the injured truckers and their families for the past and future medical expenses they must pay, the lost wages they suffer, and reasonable compensation for the pain they must endure because of their injuries. While this will not change the past, it does provide much-needed financial relief and leads to tire recalls that protect others from suffering.
The trucker injured in this crash will need to speak with trained tire defect lawyers as soon as possible. The tire needs to be preserved, the accident scene needs to be inspected, and trained professionals must determine the cause of the tire’s failure.
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The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in truck accident cases, with extensive experience in dealing with commercial truck accidents.
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.