You may have driven down a highway and noticed the remnants of tires strewn across the highway or on the shoulder. Those remnants are not merely debris littering the road waiting for someone to clean up. Such remnants of tires are often a sign that a tire recently blew out, possibly causing a car accident or a truck accident. If a truck tire is bald, meaning it does not have sufficient tread, it is more likely to blow out and lead to a truck accident. Tire blowouts are sudden and can be catastrophic to all on the road, including drivers of other vehicles. Statistics show that tire problems on trucks cause thousands of crashes and hundreds of deaths on roads across the country. Regardless of the reason for the blowout, the consequences are often tragic. If a large truck collides with a much smaller sedan, an SUV or even another semi-truck, victims often suffer serious injuries such as a brain injury, contusions, broken bones, internal injuries, amputations, paralysis, or spinal cord injury. Sadly, many tire blowout truck accidents are fatal. If you were injured in a truck accident, it is important that you immediately contact a New York Bald Tires Lawyer as you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering through a personal injury claim. In addition, if while treating you for your injuries your doctor is negligent resulting in a medical malpractice claim, the truck driver may be legally required to compensate you for that as well.
Federal LawThose who drive large commercial trucks such as 18-wheelers or semis are required by federal law to inspect tires before they get on the road and to maintain an inspection log detailing their visual inspections. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has strict rules to ensure that trucks traveling across New York highways and highways across the country are in good condition so that blowouts are less likely to occur. Under § 393.75 of FMCSA, it is against the law to operate a motor vehicle with any tire that has tread separation. Furthermore, the tread groove pattern on the front wheels of a truck must have a depth of at least 4/32.
To ensure that tires are safe and in compliance with the federal regulations, under FMCSA § 396.11. truck drivers must check tires as part of their daily inspection, as during other periodic and annual inspections. Drivers who fail to comply with inspection requires or willfully operate a truck with bald tires, are legally liable should a blowout result, causing serious injuries.
Pursuing a ClaimTruck accidents can be devastating to a victim as well as to the victim’s family. Because of the size and weight of large trucks, even low-impact, low-speed accidents can have catastrophic results. Truck accidents can lead to devastating injuries such as a spinal cord injury, broken bones, brain injury, amputation, paralysis, and all too often, death. Through a personal injury lawsuit, New York law allows you to hold the negligent party responsible for the losses you suffered. Victims who suffer serious injuries in truck accidents have significant medical bills. In addition, because victims of serious injuries often have to miss a great deal of work or are unable to return to work at all, victims have the right to sue for lost wages and loss of earning capacity.
If your injury was the result of a work-related accident, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. New York's workers' compensation laws state that injured parties are entitled to compensation if they sustain a work-related injury. Compensation often comes in the form of medical expenses, lost income and benefits, loss of ability to earn, and more. However, it is important to know that worker’s compensation benefits are limited. Just because the accident occurred at work does not necessarily mean that you are limited to the benefit available through workers’ compensation.
New York Bald Tires LawyerIf you were involved in a truck accident that was caused by a bald tire it is important to immediately contact an experienced truck accident attorney since the rules that apply to a truck accident are in many ways different from those that apply to a car accident. Contact Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC to discuss the details of your case. Our staff is experienced in handling claims resulting from truck accidents, as well as SUV accidents, car accidents, and motorcycle accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case.