PAYNE COUNTY, Oklahoma — Two firefighters were critically injured after a Fire Department tanker crashed and caught fire on Highway 51 in Payne County.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the fire tanker was traveling west on Highway 51 after responding to a call when a tire failure caused the driver to lose control.
Authorities said the tanker crossed the eastbound lanes of the highway, crashed through a guardrail, and went down an embankment before catching fire near North West Point Road.
First responders extricated the two firefighters from the wreckage. Both were transported to hospitals in critical condition.
The Fire Tanker’s Tire Must Be Examined for Possible Defects
Firefighters put their lives on the line to protect others. They should not have to worry about whether the very vehicle carrying them to and from emergencies is safe. Every part of a fire tanker—including its tires—should function properly and safely. So what went wrong here?
Not all tire blowouts are due to bad road conditions or human error. Many tires, specifically steer axle tires on medium and heavy-duty trucks, fail because the tire is defective and should never have been put on our roads. After a tire blowout accident, trained professionals need to investigate what really caused the failure.
We have handled dozens, if not hundreds, of cases where a tire manufacturer failed to produce a truck tire that met the highest safety standards, leaving the tire vulnerable to a premature blowout and unsuspecting victims seriously injured.
In one case similar to this one, our client was driving a heavy-duty truck when the front tire blew out. Unable to overcome the sudden pull of the truck, it rolled multiple times, leaving our client seriously injured and changing his life forever.
The tire manufacturer attempted to blame our client, claiming he should have been able to control the truck at highway speeds, and also blamed the trucking company for failing to properly maintain the tire. This was not surprising, as manufacturers often do everything possible to avoid liability. However, our inspection of the failed tire revealed a belt-to-belt tread separation caused by a manufacturing defect. That defect directly caused the tire failure, proving the manufacturer’s liability.
This same situation plays out over and over again when a steer axle tire on a heavy-duty truck blows unexpectedly.
Our firm has handled tire failure and defect cases for decades and has written extensively about these incidents. Even with that experience, it is still deeply troubling to see another crash where a tire failure may have played a role, especially when firefighters responding to serve their community are the ones who are seriously injured.
The firefighters and their families deserve clear answers about what happened and whether a defective tire contributed to this crash.
Our thoughts are with the injured firefighters and their loved ones during this difficult time. We hope they receive the answers they deserve and make a full recovery.
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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.
