An 18-wheeler tire exploding can cause more than just harm to the truck. It can turn a routine drive into a catastrophic event for the cars alongside it on the road, causing detrimental harm to drivers and their vehicles. The deafening sound can trigger chaos, starting with the semi-truck losing control and causing deadly pileups. Oftentimes, what may seem like a complete accident is a case of negligence. Because of this, working with an expert truck accident lawyer is crucial for winning your case in Sugar Land.
Sugar Land is known for having some of the worst traffic in the state. In 2024, Sugar Land was home to 21 of Texas’s 50 most congested highways – many of which see hundreds of semi-trucks that potentially cause accidents every day. Semi-truck accidents can be some of the trickiest types of car accident claims. This is because most big rig trucking companies have robust legal teams that are experts at deflecting fault, even when they have caused serious harm from negligence. At Maida Law, we are professional truck accident lawyers and are fully equipped to help you win your Sugar Land truck tire blowout claim and optimize your payout.
Understanding the “Why”: Causes of Truck Tire Blowouts in Sugar Land
A tire blowout might just seem like an everyday part of life on the road, but in reality, it is typically a huge indicator of lackluster truck maintenance, driver negligence, and a complex web of legal liability. The causes behind a blowout can be vast, including improper maintenance, manufacturing defects, excess road hazards, or even overloaded weight. Proving liability for all of these reasons is what our team of truck accident lawyers at Maida Law does best.
Improper Maintenance and Overuse
These are the most common causes for truck tires to blow out on the road. Maintaining the truck is a vital aspect of company policy and typically includes the following factors:
- Improper inflation: Tire inflation can be a double-edged sword when it comes to safety. Under-inflated tires can often lead to blowouts due to inner wall damage from a lack of padding, as well as heat buildup from road friction. Over-inflation can make the tire too rigid. When the tire becomes too stiff, it can sustain impact damage from not being able to flex with the road surface.
- Tread depth and wear patterns: Tread depth is often an aspect of tire care that goes forgotten. When the tread becomes too worn down, it will prevent the tire from adequately dispersing heat buildup and can lead to an instant explosion.
- Dry rot and cracking: Especially in Sugar Land, weather exposure can play a large role in truck maintenance failures. Tires are made of rubber, which means that overexposure to water or heat can lead to wear and tear that must be accounted for. By working with a truck accident lawyer in Sugar Land who is familiar with the common tire issues faced by trucks in the city, you can set your case up for success.
- Ignoring visible damage: This can be a huge asset in your 18-wheeler accident case and a key factor in proving negligence on the truck driver’s end. Tires are one of the most vital aspects of any vehicle, especially a semi-truck that weighs multiple tons and can cause life-altering damage to people and property in an instant. Ignoring visible signs of wear and tear can happen during rushed inspections or tight turnarounds when deadlines are approaching.
Manufacturing Defects
Proving liability for manufacturing defects is complex and can include a myriad of problems with the tire’s unique design. Defects could include things like belt separation or poor adhesion between the layers of the tire. These can be difficult to spot during inspections, yet can cause immense damage in seconds, especially in Sugar Land’s jarring, stop-and-go traffic.
Your truck accident lawyer is integral for proving manufacturing defect liability within your case. We do this by examining if the tire has been a part of previous recalls and how that was communicated with the specific trucking company. If the manufacturer has a long history of similar concerns, it often can point to a large-scale problem with negligence and lead to a product liability claim.
Overloading and Hazardous Road Conditions
While it might be tempting for trucking companies to point fingers at unavoidable things like a sharp nail in the road or a large pothole, the cause of dangerous tire blowouts is more often a preventable overloading issue. A trucking company’s core responsibility is to move crucial products across the country as quickly and efficiently as possible, so it builds its business on deadlines and dollar signs. When companies place a heavy emphasis on making tight deadlines, drivers may become concerned about overloading.
Overloading the truck can put immense stress on the tires, causing explosive blowouts and potentially dangerous car accidents. Our lawyers use this as a key indicator of where to place liability when they develop a strategy for your truck accident case.
Your Truck Accident Attorney’s Winning Strategy: How We Secure a Tire Blowout Case
Trucking companies are unique competitors when it comes to legal battles. Large trucking companies have full teams dedicated to deflecting lawsuits and are also known for tampering with and concealing key evidence that could prove their negligence.
We fight back for you and prove tire blowout negligence by securing and analyzing the damaged tire. In many cases, this is one of the most crucial parts of the evidentiary support of the case. Your truck accident lawyer can even hire experts to examine the tire to determine the root cause of the blowout, including driver speed, road condition, and the quality of the tire maintenance.
Along with investigating the tire itself, your truck accident lawyer will also take a deep dive into the driver’s records. Learning if they have a history of pushing boundaries when maintenance is concerned or with reckless driving can help us accurately place the liability.
To investigate an overloading issue, an attorney can follow up with the specific cargo loading technician or product shipper. It is not unheard of for these characters to pressure drivers into pushing the limits of the truck to yield higher payouts, even if it puts other drivers at risk.
We believe every driver injured by a big rig in Sugar Land deserves justice in court. Beyond just the medical bills, our team will thoroughly strive to get you compensation for all aspects of the accident.
Don’t Let a Big Rig Company Dictate Your Future: Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer to Fight for You
The first few days after a serious truck accident can be overwhelming and stressful. But when it comes to truck accidents involving serious tire blowouts, hiring a lawyer quickly can give you the best opportunity to secure compensation and justice.
Don’t let an 18-wheeler company dictate how you enjoy your life after a tire blowout accident; let our truck accident lawyers at Maida Law in Sugar Land fight for you.
Contact Maida Law to get in touch with a truck accident lawyer and receive a free case evaluation today.