What causes tractor trailer flying tire accidents in Indiana?

Tractor trailers increase highway dangers due to their size, weight and stopping distance to name a few points that are focused on by trucking industry regulators.  The size of a truck causes more damage than that of a passenger-sized vehicle and is accounted for in formal settlements between parties.  Due to the increased load and weight on trucks, the braking ability is also compromised under emergent braking conditions. The movement of commercial motor vehicles has significant impacts on the safety conditions and traffic patterns of Indiana’s roadways since they travel more than 9.5 billion miles annually.  The physical  demands placed on drivers is also a consideration in accident prevention, as many of the trucks have deadlines they have to meet that may cause a driver to be fatigued or not carry out pre-travel inspections including tire evaluations.

Truck regulations and maintenance.

Maintenance is of great concern in the trucking industry, as deviations in mechanical inspections and safety measures can cause catastrophic injury and death to drivers sharing roadways with commercial trucks and tractor trailers.  As an effort to keep trucks safe and reduce roadway incidents spot checking equipment before each trip is required by drivers.  The equipment that must be checked before trips includes:

1. service brakes, including trailer-brake connections.
2. Parking brakes.
3. Lighting devices and reflectors.
4. Steering mechanisms.
5. Horn
6. Tires – it is common for a truck to lose a tire, or for tread to break apart.
7. Windshield wipers.
8. Coupling devices.
9. Wheels and rims.
10. Rear mirror.
11. Emergency notification markers and equipment.

Loose tire injuries.

When a truck tire breaks apart, tire debris can become a deadly projectile thrown through the air landing on vehicles, or causing dangerous conditions once it lands on the highway itself.   Flying tire parts can smash windshields, and debris on roadway can make a dangerous condition, both cases may cause  drivers to swerve and lose control of their vehicles. 

Conditions that may cause a truck tire to break or come loose include:

• Under-inflation – When there is not enough air in a tire, the tire can become too hot. This causes the blowout.
• Tread burn – This means that the tread on a tire is burnt or used up. When this happens, friction with the road can cause a tire to overheat and break apart.
• Tread separation – Even a tire that appears to be in good condition can blow out due to tread separation. This occurs when the metal and rubber inside a tire become disconnected from each other, causing the tire to break apart and scatter over the roadway.
• Spare tire – Since trucks go through tires so often, it is possible that a truck will be riding on a spare tire. If a spare tire is too old, it could be rotten, leading the tire to break apart and causing you to suffer an injury.
• Problems with the wheel or rim can also lead a tire to come loose or blow out.

Liability for wheel separation accidents.

There are multiple possible defendants when a truck wheel or truck tire causes an injury on the roads of Indiana and those parties include a:

• Truck driver – If he or she failed to inspect or maintain the tires on the truck
• Truck owner – If the owner is responsible for improper wheel-end maintenance or negligently fails to replace worn tires
• Tire manufacturer – In some cases, it may be possible to hold a manufacturer liable for a product defect

Seek legal counsel.

In a case where an injury, damages and/or loss of life occurred, an accident victim will need to hire an experienced personal injury attorney who is familiar with the trucking industry to investigate and review all of the data pertaining to the reasons why the accident occurred to determine degrees of fault and how to proceed with a successful legal claim.

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