As Georgia car accident injury lawyers who help people hurt in automobile wrecks, we are acutely aware of the severe nature of rollover accidents. Although rollover accidents are relatively rare, they cause as many as 30 percent of all auto accident deaths. Tire failures are a leading cause of Georgia rollover accidents.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently published a study revealing the main ways in which tire failures can cause rollover accidents. Flat tires and blowouts cause as many as 400 deaths a year on the roads of America.
The problem is often straightforward. Underinflated tires result in sluggish handling, and mean it takes longer to stop when you apply your brakes. It puts stress on basic tire components and created heat buildup. These factors may cause catastrophic failure of the tire, such as separation or blowout.
Tire failures cause Georgia rollover accidents
Underinflated tires are a problem on the roads of Georgia. An NHTSA study of tire inflation pressure and the monitoring systems for tires found that 12 percent of all passenger vehicles in the United States manufactured from 2004 to 2011 had at least one tire underinflated by as much as 25 percent.
Aging tires are also a major problem. Rubber in the tires breaks down. Heat accelerates this process. The deterioration exacerbates the risk of a blowout accident occurring. The NHTSA estimates about 9 percent of all crashes were “tire-related crashes.” The agency highlighted blowouts, tread separations, bald tires, and underinflation of tires.
Sudden tire failure may cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Rollover accidents often occur on curves or when the vehicle that suffers a blowout is a high-sided SUV or a truck.
When Tread Separation Causes a Tire to Fail
Manufacturing defects are a common cause of tread separation. If a tire is improperly manufactured, steel belting may fail to bond correctly with the tread. This can create a defect that results in separation and blowout. Tire separation may cause rollover accidents. In some cases, a manufacturer can be held liable for your injuries. We see first-hand some of the terrible consequences of Georgia rollover accidents.
Rollover wrecks are most serious when an occupant of a car or a truck is not wearing a safety belt. Research by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found occupants who are not ejected from a vehicle are more likely to survive the impact
However, even those who survive rollover accidents are often left with serious, life-changing personal injuries. Many rollover accidents are single-vehicle accidents. The driver is not always responsible for these accidents. When an accident is caused by a defective tire or a badly designed car you may be able to file a product liability lawsuit against a manufacturer.
At the Law Office of Michael West, we work hard to help people who often suffer terrible injuries from tire blowouts. You deserve justice for the injuries you suffered in a Georgia rollover accident. We help the victims get their lives back together after car, truck, and motorcycle accidents. Please call our Newnan personal injury lawyer at (404) 913-1529.