An 18-Wheeler Tire Blow-Out Hit My Car, What’s Next?

Friday, July 7, 2023

An 18-Wheeler Tire Blow-Out Hit My Car, What’s Next?

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Tire blow-outs are terrifying because, as the name suggests, your tire basically explodes. Research shows that less than 10% of car accidents involve a tire blow-out, and of the tire blow-out accidents, only about 10% involve another vehicle. Although these numbers are low, they are still pretty harsh, considering how hazardous blow-outs can be.

Tire blow-outs most often occur on the freeway or off-roading over particularly rough terrain. Freeway blow-outs are particularly scary and dangerous because the vehicle is traveling at high speed. It is very challenging to maintain control of a vehicle when one of its tires explodes. In addition to that hazard, nearby cars can also be hit by flying shards of tire debris. To say the least, tire blow-outs are dangerous.

If you suffered an injury, speak with a truck accident lawyer in Chicago immediately.

Why Do Tires Blow Out?

There are a wide range of factors that can cause a tire to explode. Those reasons include:

• One of the steel belts inside the tire snaps
• Having over or under-inflated tires
• Driving into a blunt object, like a curb
• Having an overloaded vehicle
• A damaged sidewall (or even just a flat tire)
• Tires that are over 10 years old (even if they have lots of treads left)

If Your Tire Suffers a Blow Out

If you cause an 18-wheeler to hit you due to one of your tires exploding, whether you will be held liable for the damages depends on a few factors. If you were aware that the tire was compromised in some way, yet you drove longer than is reasonable on that compromised tire.

An example would be if you were driving on your spare tire (a “donut”) for 6 months, and it blew out. Donuts should only be driven on until you can get to the nearest tire shop for your flat to be patched. If, on the other hand, you were unaware that anything was going on with the tire, you can not be held responsible. You would not be responsible if the blow-out was caused by a manufacturing defect, for example.

If You Are Damaged by Someone Else’s Tire Blow-Out

If an 18-wheeler hits you due to one of its own tires exploding, the story is a little bit different. Commercial vehicles are held to a higher safety standard than passenger vehicles. On top of that, 18-wheelers, in particular, are expected to be as “road ready” as possible due to how harmful it is when a smaller car is hit by one.

18-wheeler tires should be inspected weekly. Not only are the truck drivers expected to keep a close eye on them throughout their runs, but, in addition to that, many trucking companies also hire what are called fleet truck tire services to come and inspect every single tire on their lot (in their “fleet”) regularly.

This is the industry standard. When trucking companies violate these standards, they should be liable for resulting injuries.

Contact Our Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers Today!

To learn more about your options in a tire blow-out accident, don’t hesitate to contact our Illinois accident attorneys right away. We have offices in Chicago and Champaign. To speak to a truck accident lawyer today, please reach out online or call 888-310-9252.