Experiencing a tire blowout is always startling and scary, but when the blowout causes a driver’s loss of control and an accident, it’s particularly terrifying and sometimes ends in serious or even catastrophic or fatal injuries. An average of 33,000 tire-related accidents happen in the United States each year, with more than 2,000 caused by blowouts. Tragically, there were 562 fatalities in 2022 due to tire problems, including tire blowout accidents in New Jersey.
What Causes Tire Blowouts?
Tire blowouts present a danger to drivers because they can cause a sudden loss of control, fishtailing, or an unintentional swerve. Commercial truck tire blowouts can cause dangerous jackknife accidents, multi-car pileups, or accidents caused by flying tire shrapnel or large tire strips in the roadway. Tire blowouts are most commonly caused by the following:
- Over-inflated or under-inflated tires
- Defective tires
- Tires with design flaws such as tread separation and defective adhesive between tire layers
- Worn-out tires
- Unbalanced cargo loads in commercial trucks
- Tires with previous damage
- Overloaded vehicles
- Potholes
- Construction debris
- Uneven tread wear due to failure to rotate tires
- Mismatched tires
Tire blowouts cause single-car accidents, such as roadway departures, and are responsible for some rollover accidents, particularly in SUVs, vans, and commercial trucks. Tire blowouts also cause multi-car accidents when an out-of-control vehicle collides with another car.
What Common Injuries Can Occur?
Injuries in tire blowout accidents happen to drivers and passengers in the car that experiences a blowout, and may also result in injuries to those in other vehicles in collisions caused by blowouts. Common blowout car accident injuries include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Facial trauma
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft tissue injuries to shoulders, knees, ankles, and wrists
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Burns
In the worst cases, a tire blowout accident results in fatal injuries. In those cases, a close family member may recover compensation in a wrongful death claim in Cherry Hill.
What Damages Can I Recover In a Tire Blowout Claim?
Car accidents often cause far more than just property damage to a vehicle. A tire blowout accident in New Jersey may result in serious injuries with damages such as the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future income loss
- Diminished future earning capacity due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for any other non-economic losses such as disfigurement, PTSD, diminished quality of life, traumatic limb loss, loss of one of the senses, or loss of enjoyment of life.
While financial compensation does not erase pain and suffering, it is the court’s only means of recourse. It also substantially increases the value of a claim, opens doors to the best medical care, and relieves financial anxieties for injury victims.
How Can a Car Accident Attorney Help?
At Cuneo & Leonetti, we’ve seen the toll that car accident injuries have on victims and their families. Financial damages add up quickly when serious injuries prevent the ability to return to work. Tire blowout accidents happen in an instant, but can have long-lasting physical and financial effects. Call the car crash lawyers in Cherry Hill at Cuneo & Leonetti for the experienced representation you need to maximize your compensation and achieve the best possible outcome in your case.