Your car’s tires help you to avoid obstacles and control your car at high speeds as you drive. A faulty tire can cause a catastrophic car wreck that leaves you reeling. Expensive medical bills, lost wages while you are in the hospital or without transportation, and post-traumatic stress are just a few of the ways you can suffer afterward. Severe injuries or the loss of a loved one can impact you for the rest of your life. You may be able to sue the manufacturer under Indiana law for damages if there is evidence that a defective tire caused your car accident.
Every year, popular tire manufacturers like Michelin, Goodyear and Firestone issue recalls for faulty tires. Unfortunately, recalls typically only take place after numerous accidents and injuries have already been linked to the tires. There are many things that can go wrong in the production process that can result in faulty tires such as a poor design, the use of improper materials or production. The tire manufacture is responsible for these types of defects. They can also be held responsible for failing to provide adequate warnings or safety instructions such as not listing the maximum load for the tire.
Tire blowouts and tread separation are the usual culprits of a car accident caused by a faulty tire. The reason a car has a blowout is that the rubber exterior tears or separates from the interior fabric reinforcement and steel belting. When this happens, the tire loses air pressure quickly which can make your car veer off the road, crash into another vehicle or barrier. Tread separation is when the grooved rubber on the outside of the tire separates from the rest of the tire. Those grooves are what help your tire grip the road, especially when it is slick, and protect it from being torn by debris on the road. Tread separation makes a tire more likely to blowout or hydroplane on wet roads. Design and manufacturing defects are often the cause of these problems.
How to Build a Case Against a Tire Manufacturer
To build a case against a tire manufacturer, you and your attorney must prove that the tire was defective and that you suffered harm or injury because of it. Hiring an attorney who is experienced in auto accidents and product defects and will investigate your accident is the best way to determine if the tire manufacturer is liable. They may hire an expert to examine pieces of the tire, the accident report, and any pictures you have from the scene of the car accident to a tire engineer. If your tire failed because of normal wear and tear or because you overloaded your vehicle with a weight that exceeded your tires’ max capacity, you may not be able to seek damages from the manufacturer. Under Indiana law, you cannot recover damages if you are 50 percent or more at fault.
You don’t have to try to carry the burden of pulling your life together after a car wreck alone! Our team of Indiana car accident attorneys at Stewart & Stewart are here to help you. We will investigate your accident and build a case to get you the money and help that you deserve. Even if the accident happened a couple of years ago, you may still be entitled to compensation for your physical and emotional suffering, medical expenses, permanent scars, lost past wages or diminished earning capacity. You have two years, from the date of the car accident or death of your loved one, to file a personal injury claim or wrongful death claim in Indiana. Our team of personal injury lawyers work around the clock to fight tire manufactures on behalf of survivors like you. If you would like to learn more about how we can help, call us at 1-800-33-33-LAW or visit our website today.