We’ve probably all seen the wobbly tire or that tire threatening to go flat on the freeway and realized that we needed to move over Lane or speed up or slow down to get some distance from that vehicle. But why? We inherently know that a tire going flat or blowing out on A freeway, street, or even residential road can cause quite a bit of damage. But can they really cause a car accident that leads to a fair amount of injuries?
Yes. Blowouts really can cause very serious car accidents, including crashes with injuries and even fatalities. If you’ve driven by parts of the freeway and seen Bits of tire tread lying around, then there’s a high likelihood that someone was in an accident or very narrowly avoided one. Contact our Ohio car accident attorneys today for help.
What Causes Tire Blowouts?
Tire blowouts happen when a tire is damaged in such a way that it loses all air pressure at once. This is different from your typical flat tire scenario where the tire may lose air pressure slowly over the course of time period usually when people have a flat tire they notice only when the tire has reached an extremely low level of air pressure, and then they can pull over and address the flat tire.
A blowout, however, doesn’t give the driver the opportunity to pull over and assess the lack of air pressure. With a blowout, there is no tell-tale thumping sound, drag on one side of the vehicle, or a slight decrease in speed. A blowout will not put a drag on the car over the course of minutes. A blowout will cause an immediate loss to all of the air pressure and make the tire ineffective in seconds.
The top causes of tire blowouts include the tire sustaining a large cut or puncture, usually because of debris on the roadway. Additionally, blowouts can happen because of overloading the vehicle and not properly accommodating for weight distribution. Finally, potholes can cause tire blowouts. Potholes can cause blowouts because of the severe impact upon the tire pressure, which means that blowouts can happen at almost any time.
Why Do Blowout Accidents Happen?
Now, blowouts occur because of things that happened to the tire, but blowout accidents happen because of the driver’s response. When a blowout happens, the driver is put into a very compromising situation. They must make immediate and decisive decisions on How to pull over, how to be safe, and how to operate their vehicle without the full function of four tires.
Because of the sound an immediate jerking and pull on the vehicle, most drivers will overreact, and that is what causes the accidents. It is this overreaction that leads the drivers that had the blowout as the largely responsible parties in accident crash resolution.
The driver may jerk the wheel attempting to get off of the roadway, they may slam on their brakes in an effort to slow down, and even doing nothing can have its consequences. For example, when the driver does nothing, the vehicle will largely pull in the direction of the blown tire. The entire vehicle may leave the lane, or even twist around from the direction it was traveling because of the continuation of the movement of the vehicle.
Fault in A Blowout Crash
Without a doubt, getting out of a vehicle after a blowout accident is terrifying. But many victims are surprised to realize that the driver doesn’t feel at fault at all. Most of the time, the driver of the vehicle that had the blowout feels as victimized as anyone else in the situation.
It is critical that you don’t discuss fault at the scene, that you don’t apologize, and that you don’t issue blame. Leave all of that to the crash resolution process.
Finding Legal Support to Help Recover – Ohio Car Accident Lawyers
Finding support after an accident can seem like an unnecessary step, but many don’t realize how much they could lose impossible compensation without proper legal support. Blow out often happen in a way where neither driver feels at fault. In fact, you might even consider taking your claim against the tire or vehicle manufacturer. However, you’ll need to know where to start.
At Ohio car accident attorneys, you can get help to resolve your Toledo car crash. If you know that the collision happened because of the blowout, we will go through all of the elements and evidence of the crash to help determine where you can start your claim. We’ll be by your side through the entire resolution process and fight for your compensation needs.