A man was injured when a truck’s tire came loose and struck him during morning rush hour, Minnesota’s WCCO reported.
The station said a tire came off a dump truck on Interstate 35W during morning rush hour Dec. 5, hitting the man’s car. The highway was closed to allow a medical helicopter to take the victim to a hospital. Fortunately, the report said his injuries weren’t life-threatening. However, it noted that a similar accident in the spring, involving two tires that fell off a garbage truck, did kill a man. Generally, the article said, the results of a large truck losing a tire at highway speeds are much more serious.
A 2007 study by the federal agency responsible for regulating interstate trucking, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, looked at the causes of accidents involving large commercial trucks (also called semi trucks, tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers). According to that study, vehicle-related problems were the immediate reason for 10% of crashes; tire or wheel failure specifically was the immediate reason in 1%. Other equipment problems that were believed to be accident causes included cargo shifts (4%), degraded brakes (3%) and outright brake failure (1%).
While driver-related problems are still far more likely to be the cause of a trucking accident, equipment failure does happen. Because of this danger, strict regulations apply to maintenance and inspection of large trucks. Unfortunately, some trucking companies choose to ignore these laws, in order to save money by skimping on maintenance. This irresponsible behavior puts everyone at serious risk: The truck’s driver, its cargo and every innocent driver around them.
When trucking companies or truckers cause an accident like this one through carelessness or deliberate wrongdoing, and someone is hurt as a result, victims have the right to hold them legally responsible. Carey, Danis & Lowe represents clients who have been very seriously hurt or lost a loved one in southern Illinois or Missouri trucking accidents. If you’re in this position and you’d like to learn more about your legal options, you can contact our firm online or call us at 1-877-678-3400 for a free consultation.
