Accidents Caused by Runaway Tires In St. Louis

It’s common to have to suddenly maneuver your car around strips of broken tires on an interstate highway or other roadway and it’s not uncommon to have a near miss or even an accident when another vehicle’s tire bursts and sends shrapnel flying. Less commonly, however, a motorist may encounter the sudden shock of another car’s entire detached tire rolling directly toward their vehicle, often with little or no time to react to avoid an accident. Sadly, accidents caused by runaway tires in St. Louis and elsewhere are not as rare as you might think, and recovering damages can be challenging without the help of a St. Louis car accident lawyer. While no exact statistics exist for runaway tire accidents, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that 562 tire-related accidents occurred in 2022 alone.

What Is a Runaway Tire Accident?

When a tire completely detaches from the vehicle and rolls through traffic, not only does the sudden loss of a tire often cause an accident with the vehicle that lost the tire due to a sudden loss of control, but when the separated tire rolls into traffic it may collide with another vehicle and cause one or more other cars to crash as they attempt to swerve away from a rolling tire. Most runaway tires come from large commercial trucks, but cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other vehicles experience tire separations as well. In 2023, a runaway tire from a pickup truck in Los Angeles caused a nearby car to launch into the air and roll over when the driver hit the rolling tire.

What Causes Runaway Tire Accidents In St. Louis?

Tires undergo tremendous stress and wear and tear, with around 700 revolutions per mile on hard, rough road surfaces. Tire departures and runaway tires are caused by poor tire maintenance and inadequate repairs to wheel components, improperly performed tire changes, rust and corrosion, loose lugnuts, and the improper use of an air impact wrench which over-tightens lugnuts, causing failure.

Liability for Runaway Tire Accidents In St. Louis

All vehicle owners and truck drivers have a legal obligation to regularly inspect their tires for problems, perform routine maintenance, and promptly replace worn or damaged tires. Car owners who lack the skills and experience to change a tire themselves should have professional maintenance performed regularly on their tires and bring their car to a professional if they notice a tire problem instead of trying to manage a repair themselves and end up with an unsafe tire. Commercial truck drivers and trucking companies must adhere to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations for regular inspections, prompt repairs, routine maintenance, and detailed maintenance records, including for commercial truck tires. Our St. Louis 18-wheeler accident lawyer can uncover this type of evidence to hold negligent trucking companies liable for causing an accident. Common liable parties in Missouri runaway tire accidents include:

• Car owners
• Truck drivers
• Trucking companies
• Truck repair and maintenance companies
• Tire repair shops
• The manufacturer of a defective tire
• Car retailers that sold a car with an improperly installed or defective tire

Failing to take the above reasonable measures to avoid causing an accident and injuries leaves the negligent party liable for damages.

How Can a Car Accident Attorney In St. Louis Help?

It often takes a skilled investigation with access to mechanical experts and crash forensics specialists to determine the cause of a runaway tire accident and identify the correct liable party—especially in runaway tire accidents from a commercial truck with multiple potentially liable parties. Instead of risking a claim denial by an insurance company, call Miller & Hine for the experienced representation required for the best possible results in a St. Louis runaway tire accident claim.