Driver Injured After a Semi-truck Tire Blowout Accident on Highway 71 Near Bolckow, Missouri

BOLCKOW, Mo. — A 73-year-old man from Braddyville, Iowa, was injured Thursday afternoon when a tractor-trailer overturned on Highway 71, about three miles southwest of Bolckow.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the crash happened when the front driver’s side tire on a southbound 2001 Freightliner failed. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the east side of the highway, hit an embankment, and overturned. The truck came to rest on its driver’s side in the median.

The driver sustained moderate injuries and was transported by Andrew County Ambulance to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.

Tires that explode need to be examined for defects

Truck drivers are the backbone of America. They spend weeks at a time away from their families and sacrifice the comfort of their homes to deliver the everyday goods we need. These dedicated drivers deserve to be safe when they are in their home away from home— their trucks.

Yet, over and over again, we are seeing truck drivers get seriously injured and even die due to a tire blowout. And what makes it even worse is that these tires should never have made it out of the manufacturing plant because they were flawed from the beginning. These tires are defective.

We are handling several cases where this same situation plays out. In Arizona, our client, driving a cement truck, had a tire blowout in the front. He couldn’t handle the sudden pull of the truck, and it rolled over several times, leaving him with life-changing injuries. The tire company is trying to blame our client, saying he should have controlled the blowout at high speeds. They’re also blaming the company for not maintaining the tire properly. But when we checked the tire that failed, it became evident that a belt-to-belt tread separation occurred due to improper tire production—a sign that the manufacturer messed up.

This case is among many we handle for individuals seriously injured or killed due to defective truck tires. It’s a significant issue requiring greater accountability from these manufacturers.

It’s important to stress that when a commercial truck’s tire suddenly bursts, many might think it’s just bad luck or a problem with maintenance. Some might even think nobody’s at fault for the tire blowing out. But in many instances, it is the tire manufacturers who failed to adhere to the highest safety standards when producing the tire, resulting in a defective tire prone to a premature blowout.

In these cases, it’s not the driver’s fault: it’s the manufacturer who has failed and should be held accountable.

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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.