In South Carolina, commercial trucks can typically weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, or more, with special waivers. Unfortunately, if a tire blows out on any large commercial vehicle, this can cause immediate instability.
Tire blowouts can have devastating consequences, as they often result in serious accidents. In many cases, these accidents could have been prevented if drivers had exercised reasonable care.
If you or someone you love is hurt by issues with a truck’s tires, a South Carolina truck accident lawyer can help. The Marc Brown Law Firm represents victims in the following locations, as well as in surrounding areas, when these devastating truck crashes happen.
- Allendale
- Bamberg
- Bishopville
- Charleston
- Columbia
- Hampton
- Hardeeville
- Greenville
- Kingstree
- Marion
- Orangeburg
- Ridgeland
- Sumter
- Winnsboro
Why do truck tires blow out?
In most cases, when truck tires blow out, negligence on the part of the driver or the trucking company is ultimately the reason for the incident. Some of the most common reasons for blowouts include:
- Low tire pressure: If a truck’s tires have low pressure, they can flex beyond their limits. This impacts the elasticity of the tire, often leading to overheating and blowouts.
- Overloading: Since trucks are very heavy, truck tires are under tremendous pressure even in the best of circumstances. When they are overloaded, the extra weight puts even more strain on the tire, increasing the risk of a blowout occurring.
- Old tires: When tires become old and the treads become worn, they are more susceptible to a blowout.
- Maintenance issues: If the truck isn’t maintained properly, the tires could become unaligned, or the tires or axles could become damaged in a way that increases the blowout risk.
Truck drivers and trucking companies that don’t follow proper maintenance procedures, that fail to safely load vehicles, or that don’t inspect the truck properly could all miss these issues. This could be considered negligence, and it could make the driver and trucking company liable for any losses that occur because of it.
What kind of truck accidents does a tire blowout cause?
If a tire blowout happens, the truck becomes unstable. The driver could face challenges steering, and the truck will pull to one side. This can lead to many different kinds of accidents, including:
- Jackknife accidents
- Rollover crashes
- Collisions caused by the truck veering into the wrong lane
- Incidents caused by flying debris
- Rear-end or head-on crashes due to loss of vehicle control
Professionally trained truck drivers should be able to respond to minimize the risk of an accident after a blowout, but that is often not the case. In fact, many serious and fatal accidents and many multi-vehicle accidents occur because of tire issues.
How a South Carolina tire blowout accident lawyer can help
A South Carolina accident lawyer at the Marc Brown Law Firm can help you to prove that the trucker, the trucking company, or both were to blame for your losses.
We can also assist you in identifying all potential defendants, including the truck driver and, in some cases, the trucking company, which tends to have deeper pockets. As skilled negotiators, we are also not afraid to stand up to the trucking company or their insurer to fight for a fair settlement, and because we are also experienced litigators, we can go the distance in court. To find out more about the help we can offer, give us a call or contact us online today.