A car's tire burning after it failed to perform to expectations on the road.Your car is only as safe as its tires. Unfortunately, defective tires can lead to harrowing and potentially fatal incidents, like spinning out on the road, experiencing a blowout, slipping, or losing control of your vehicle.

It’s up to you as a vehicle owner to perform regular maintenance like rotating or aligning your tires, replacing tires that no longer have adequate tread, and ensuring that you have the proper type of tires for the weather conditions. However, if you’ve followed all the proper maintenance steps and you still have an accident due to tire failure, you may have grounds for a defective tire lawsuit.

An injury from a defective tire accident can change your life. After the crash, you might struggle with mobility, mental and physical ailments, and emotional challenges.

Therefore, someone should be held accountable if you are injured because of a manufacturer or mechanic’s negligence.

Bert McDowell and his Hartford injury attorney team can help you determine the cause of the incident and aid you in pursuing adequate compensation for your injuries. Known for his lengthy success record and years of experience, Bert is dedicated to helping people who have been hurt by the negligence of others.

If you’d like to discuss your injury claim with Bert, reach us by calling (203) 633-7449 or using our convenient form to contact us online and schedule a free, no-obligation case review.

What a Hartford Defective Tire Accident Attorney Can Do For You

If you’ve been in an accident, you might not think to immediately involve an attorney. After all, many accidents are worked out between the involved parties and their respective insurance companies.

However, defective tire accidents are different.

You could be seriously harmed by a defective tire on your vehicle, even if you don’t hit someone else. Conversely, someone could injure you because of a tire defect on their vehicle.

In either case, either the tire manufacturer or the shop that installed/serviced the tires could be held responsible.

Proving that a manufacturer or tire shop acted negligently isn’t easy, though. These establishments may try to prove that you failed to maintain or inspect the tires properly, which led to the accident.

Instead of getting justice, you could end up in a fruitless back-and-forth battle where no one accepts responsibility for the accident.

This is where a personal injury attorney can step in and make a tremendous difference.

Personal injury attorneys have a professional focus on analyzing the facts and evidence surrounding car accidents, including identifying potential defects that could have led to your crash.

Attorneys also know how to identify and document compelling links between the defect, the incident, and your injuries — which is essential for receiving compensation under Connecticut law.

Hiring an attorney also shows that you’re serious about receiving the compensation you may be entitled to. A manufacturer or mechanic can dodge your calls or give you the run-around, but they can’t hide from a direct legal inquiry.

Determining Liability in a Tire Defect Accident

Tire defects endanger your life, your passenger’s lives, and the safety of those around you. As consumers and drivers, we trust that manufacturers will act with care when producing critical car components. We also trust mechanics to service our vehicles properly if issues arise.

If you get in an accident due to a blown tire or if you crash due to flying debris from a tire blowout, it’s worth examining the incident to see if a defect is to blame. If the tires appear to be defective, your lawyer will analyze the facts to see who is at fault.

Manufacturer Fault

A manufacturer may be at fault for the accident if:

  • They risked lives by putting a dangerous, incomplete, or untested design into production
  • They used poor-quality materials or failed to properly manage the production process
  • They didn’t have adequate measures in place for quality control
  • They didn’t warn consumers properly of an existing issue that affects the tires

Manufacturers are often motivated to cut costs — and sometimes, these cost reductions come at the price of people’s safety. This can lead to shoddy production processes or inadequate materials that affect the integrity of the tires and, ultimately, put drivers at risk.

It is a challenge to pursue a manufacturer without excellent representation. They’re often prepared with an all-star legal team that will go to great lengths to absolve them of any responsibility.

They might put you under serious pressure, attempt to pay you off with a measly settlement or act dismissive when you approach them with your concerns.

To win against a tire manufacturer, you need a detail-oriented attorney who won’t get discouraged if they meet resistance. Your attorney will likely need to spend a significant amount of time researching, gathering evidence, and negotiating with the manufacturer’s legal team.

It’s not an endeavor for the faint of heart, but as long as the elements are in place for a successful suit, it’s worth pursuing the manufacturer to receive the compensation you may deserve and to protect others from similar accidents.

Repair Shop Fault

In some cases, repair shops are to blame for tire defects. For instance, if a shop fails to install a tire properly, uses the wrong size or type of tire, over-inflated or under-inflated a tire, or doesn’t tighten the lug nuts on your tire properly, they may be responsible for a tire defect accident. They may also have used faulty inventory, including purchasing used tires and known factory seconds and then selling them to the public as brand new, totally safe tires.

Your attorney can review receipts, work orders, and contracts to paint a picture of what happened and demonstrate why the shop is at fault. They’ll use the facts to show how the shop acted in a negligent manner and link the defect with the accident and your related injuries.

Damages You May Be Entitled to After a Defective Tire Accident

Every accident is different, and there is no guarantee of compensation if you pursue a personal injury claim. However, by building your case with the help of a knowledgeable and dedicated attorney, you greatly increase your chances of lodging a successful claim.

Under Connecticut law, you can receive funds for the following expenses in a personal injury case.

Medical Bills

Medical bills can pile up quickly if you’re harmed in a defective tire accident. You may incur expenses for hospitalization, ambulance rides, diagnostics, medications, therapies, surgeries, and other procedures.

In addition to the medical bills you incur right after the accident, you may have ongoing expenses or future costs that arise months or years later. Personal injury attorneys have specialized training to project these costs so that you have adequate compensation now and in the future.

Lost Wages

If you were involved in a serious accident, you may have to take time off of work to recover from your injuries and process what happened. Accidents can be extremely traumatic – you should not expect to get over the incident quickly.

In an ideal world, you wouldn’t feel pressured to rush back to work, but you’ll likely feel the need to get back as soon as you can to avoid losing out on income. Thankfully, you can receive compensation for lost wages if you were in an accident.

This pay is immensely helpful in situations where you can’t easily return to work after a car crash.

Pain and Suffering

It can be a challenge to put a price tag on pain and suffering. After all, the trauma from an accident can impact you for years to come.

You may suffer from lasting physical and mental consequences, and you may experience grief at the loss of your former life.

Your attorney will work with you to determine a reasonable amount for your pain and suffering. It will likely be based on the extent of your injuries and the impact they have had on your ability to conduct a normal schedule or generally enjoy everyday life.

Call a Hartford Defective Tire Accident Law Firm Today

A defective tire accident can upend your life without warning. If you were injured due to the negligence of a tire manufacturer or repair shop, Bert McDowell can help you craft a compelling case to get the compensation you deserve.

Bert has years of experience as a personal injury attorney, handling cases from dog bites and falls to defective products and car crash claims. He works on a contingency basis, meaning he won’t receive compensation for his efforts unless you win your case.

Bert has won significant amounts for his clients, including a $16.5 million payment for a tractor accident and a $1,000,000 payment for a head-on collision. The actual compensation you could obtain varies depending on the type of accident, but no matter what, you will be in good hands thanks to Bert’s deep understanding of Connecticut law and his dedication to seeking justice for his clients.

Reach out to us at any time to discuss your case and your options during a free case review when you call (203) 633-7449 or contact us online today.