What Should You Do If Your Tire Blows Out On the Road
Tire blowouts are extremely dangerous and frightening experiences. A blowout means the tire bursts or explodes, rather than a slow leak leading to a flat tire. A tire blowout can make it impossible for a driver to control a motor vehicle, often leading to devastating car and truck accidents. If negligence contributed to your tire blowout accident in California, you may have grounds for a liability claim.
What to Do If Your Tire Blows Out
Tire blowouts are often catastrophic or deadly due to the driver losing control and crashing the vehicle. The sudden loss of air pressure in a tire, especially a front tire, can make it extremely difficult to safely control the car. You can reduce your odds of a tire blowout accident, however, by reacting correctly.
- Apply full acceleration. Do not slam on the brakes.
- Pull in the direction of the blowout. Do not yank the wheel in the opposite direction.
- Keep your vehicle in the correct lane by accelerating and steering into the blowout.
- Release the gas pedal and gently steer toward the shoulder.
- Lightly press the brakes only once you are safely out of the road.
The worst thing you can do if your tire blows out is to overreact. Slamming on the brakes or jerking the wheel could cause your vehicle to flip. Do your best to remain calm, steer in the direction of the tire blowout and only gently apply the brakes once you are out of harm’s way. Reacting correctly to a tire blowout could save your life.
Who Is At Fault for a Tire Blowout Accident?
A tire blowout can occur for many different reasons. A tire rarely, if ever, blows out at random. Most tire blowouts stem from the deterioration of the tire. Others occur due to road hazards. Working with a truck accident attorney could help you identify the cause of your tire blowout accident. Once you understand its cause, you can pinpoint the defendant or at-fault party.
- Product manufacturer. A tire could blow out if it contains a defect that makes it wear down faster than a normal tire. If an issue with its design, assembly or marketing resulted in tread that wears out too quickly, the tire could explode from deterioration. The manufacturer or distributor of the tire could be liable for this type of accident.
- Trucking company. Tire blowout accidents are common in the trucking industry. Allowing a large truck to drive with worn-out or bald tires could result in a blowout accident. It is the trucking company or owner of the truck’s responsibility to adequately inspect and maintain its fleet. Failure to do so, resulting in a blowout accident, could lead to liability.
- The city or state. In some cases, a tire blowout stems from a roadway hazard or defect, such as a pothole tripping a tire and causing it to explode. If the government entity that owns the road failed to fix a known defect within a reasonable amount of time, it could be liable for a related blowout accident.
To have grounds for a personal injury case in California, you or your lawyer must show that the defendant in question owed you a duty of care, breached this duty through an act of negligence and caused your tire blowout accident. An attorney can help you meet your burden of proof by gathering evidence such as police reports, photographs, eyewitness statements and expert testimony.
Knowing how to handle a tire blowout on the road, as well as what to do if a tire blowout gives you a serious injury, can help you move forward with peace of mind. Discuss your recent tire blowout accident with an attorney in California today.
