Some drivers rarely think about the condition of the vehicles they operate. It’s easy to assume that everything is fine with your car, SUV, van, or pickup truck and go about your day as usual. However, defective equipment is responsible for a not-insignificant percentage of car accidents.
Extrapolating from crash statistics and other sources, there may be a few dozen defective tire car accidents in San Diego, California, every year. The capable attorneys at Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers help crash victims determine the liability for their injuries after tire-related mishaps. Contact us today, or call us at (858) 551-2090, to schedule a free consultation.
How Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After A Defective Tire Car Accident In San Diego, CA
Our firm has been representing injured people in San Diego, California, for more than 30 years. We’ve successfully recovered over $100 million in settlements and damage awards for our clients since the firm’s founding.
When you suffer an injury in a crash caused by an equipment failure, we can help by:
- Talking to you about your accident and your legal rights under California law
- Collecting evidence to support your case
- Filing an insurance claim and negotiating to resolve it without a lawsuit
- Pursuing litigation if the at-fault party’s insurer refuses to offer a fair settlement
Defective tire car accidents can cause serious or even fatal injuries. Contact us to request your free consultation with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney and discover how we can help you seek meaningful compensation.
Defective Tire Car Accidents Statistics In San Diego
California doesn’t specify the number of crashes in the state resulting from tire-related issues. However, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that tire failures cause 11,000 car accidents across the nation every year.
Worse yet, the NHTSA reports that 646 people died in tire-related accidents in 2023 alone. Roughly 40,000 people died in car accidents that year, meaning approximately 1.6% of those deaths occurred in tire-related crashes.
According to California’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), San Diego recorded 114 traffic deaths in 2024. If San Diego followed the national trend, two of these deaths and dozens of non-fatal injuries may have resulted from defective or damaged tires.
Factors That Contribute To San Diego’s Tire-Related Car Crashes
Automotive crashes can arise from all of the following tire-related issues:
Improper Use
Tires can fail when they’re used improperly. For example, a driver might take their vehicle off-road while using highway tires. Similarly, over- or underinflated tires are more prone to failure than properly inflated tires.
Wear
Tires aren’t meant to last forever. They wear out with enough use and eventually need to be replaced. Motorists who drive on bald or cracked tires can experience catastrophic failures that cause them to crash.
Damage
Tires can be punctured, torn, or otherwise damaged on the road. For instance, driving over a hard object could create a small tear that may eventually cause the tire to fail.
Product Defects
Tires can also fail due to defects in design or manufacturing. Design defects happen when a tire has an inherent defect built into the design. For example, a tire might use an adhesive that doesn’t stand up to the stresses it’s likely to experience.
Manufacturing defects, on the other hand, are introduced at the factory. They occur when the manufacturer fails to produce the tire according to the design specifications. Thus, a tire that isn’t allowed to cure for long enough after formation might not be as strong as it was designed to be.
Liability For Tire Defects Under California Law
The liability for tire defects can fall on a few different parties. The driver or vehicle owner might have been negligent by operating a vehicle that they knew or should have known had defective tires. A driver might therefore bear liability for a crash if they noticed a tire wobbling or making noise but failed to stop or have it checked.
Manufacturers are strictly liable for product defects. This means they’re legally responsible for any injuries their products cause, even if they were unaware of the defect.
For example, suppose that a manufacturer sells a tire that’s prone to tread separation. A driver is later injured in a rollover accident that happened after the tire tread separated on a busy highway. The manufacturer would likely be liable regardless of its knowledge about the defect or the reasonableness of its efforts to avoid or prevent the issue.
Contact Our San Diego, CA, Accident Lawyers For A Free Consultation
The liability for a tire blowout can fall on the driver, the vehicle owner, or the tire manufacturer, depending on the specific circumstances. Contact Pines Salomon Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your crash and the compensation you may be entitled to pursue under California law.
