Florida Accident Attorney Blog

According to South Florida media reports, a Davie, Florida man was killed when he was ejected from his vehicle following a tire blowout accident on I-95 near Boynton Beach.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel and other Fla. media reported that Mr. Daniel Robert Cohen, age 40, was driving his van southbound on Florida Interstate 95 Saturday afternoon near Woolbright Rd., when his left rear tire blew out. The tire blow out reportedly resulted in Mr. Cohen's van leaving the highway, veering onto the shoulder and turning over, ejecting him from the vehicle. He was brought to Delray Medical Center where he passed away, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Davie, Florida tire accident injury lawyers may be consulted by families in cases where a tire blowout caused a motor vehicle crash resulting in injuries or death. Experienced Broward County, Fla. tire blowout attorneys may consult with tire industry experts to help determine whether a serious auto accident resulting in injury and/or death may have been caused by defective tires, aging tires, recalled tires, or some other tire-related factor. We offer our sincere condolences to the family of this tire accident victim.

For more information on tire-related car crashes in South Florida, and what's involved in tire related auto accident lawsuits, please visit our Broward County tire accident attorney resource pages:

Q&A with Florida Defective Tire Accident Injury Attorney Debi Chalik: Learn about what kinds of auto accidents may be caused by tire defects in Florida, and what parties may be held liable. Plantation, Florida personal injury lawyer Debi Chalik offers her insights into these types of tire related car crashes, and answers common consumer questions.

How Old Are Your New Tires? The Dangers of Driving on Aging Tires: The average person driving on Florida I-95 and other roadways does not know that their aging tires may be a danger to their safety. The age of tires may affect their roadworthiness -- particularly when driving under the year-round hot Florida sun. Here, Florida Car Accident Injury Attorney Debi Chalik offers some important information on how to determine the age of your tires on your car, truck, van or SUV -- including tires you buy "brand new" from tire stores as well as the spare tire that may be stored in your trunk or on a tire carrier.

Also, please see our Tire Date Coding and Florida Driving Safety and Florida Car Accidents, Tire Safety, and Defective Tires webpages for more consumer related information. Both webpages feature videos of Attorney Debi Chalik advising consumers on what to do if they think a tire may have caused a serious or fatal auto crash in South Florida.

Defective Tire Accident in Florida Causes Catastrophic Brain Injury: Learn about one family's case and how experienced Plantation, Fla. injury attorneys helped in the aftermath.

News Sources:

Tire blows, Davie man dies on I-95
South Florida Sun Sentinel Jan. 7, 2012

Davie man killed on I-95 after tire blows
Palm Beach Post News Jan. 7, 2012

As experienced Ft Lauderdale, Florida defective tire accident attorneys -- we know how important tire quality and maintenance are to driving safely on South Fla. roads and highways. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a consumer guide to tire quality to help educate consumers on the importance of tire safety (see link below).

The guide cover page shows what the various codes on the tire wall mean. Many consumers are unaware of the issue of tire date coding -- that is, a date is stamped on the tire wall indicating the week and the year the tire was manufactured. Driving on tires that are several years old can be extremely hazardous, particularly in South Florida where the heat ages the rubber from the inside out and the tire deteriorates.

In fact, "new tires" sold in auto stores might not be as new as one thinks; consumers should check the tire date coding to make sure the tires they buy are indeed new. (If tires are more than six years old and have never touched pavement, we believe they should not be sold. Rubber can deteriorate even on spare tires that have never been driven upon--a hazard that is not apparent by looking at the outside of the tire.)

Related Content: See video archive to watch Florida Accident Injury Lawyers Jason and Debi Chalik explain tire date coding and the dangers of driving on aged tires. (Scroll down to "Florida Injury Attorneys Debi Chalik and Jason Chalik Discuss Tire Safety," Comcast Newsmakers, Jan. 2009.)

An aged tire that disintegrates without warning can cause serious and fatal auto accidents, as the tread falls off the tire and the driver loses control of the vehicle. Defective tires can also cause serious and deadly motor vehicle accidents, as was the case in the widely publicized Bridgestone / Firestone SUV tire recalls in recent years.

The Top Causes of Tire Failure
The NHTSA Consumer Guide aims to educate people who purchase tires for their cars, trucks, and SUVs about the key elements that impact tire performance and safety. The Guide rates tires on treadwear, traction, and temperature (which as we mentioned above, is a factor for South Florida drivers, whose automobiles are constantly subjected to driving in very hot climates.)

NHTSA also provides resources to help car owners learn what is involved in proper tire maintenance. NHTSA reports that underinflated tires is among the major causes of tire-related auto accidents, as is speeding, or subjecting the tires to weights that are greater than what their design was intended to bear. The government's SaferCar.gov website (see link below) offers consumers information about how to maintain their cars' tires.

The site recommends that consumers regularly inspect their tires for wear and damage, and routinely check the air pressure (to make sure it is consistent with the auto manufacturer's recommendations, which appear inside the driver's side door). Poorly maintained or incorrectly inflated tires can lead to tire blowouts, sudden tire failure, and the driver losing control of the vehicle. Underinflation and overloading are the major causes of tire failure, according to NHTSA.

Related Florida Injury Attorney article:

Defective Tire Accident in Florida Causes Catastrophic Brain Injury

Sources:

Consumer Guide to Uniform Tire Quality (PDF) NHTSA Aug. 2011

SaferCar.gov: Tires

Continue reading "Florida Tire Safety : NHTSA Releases Consumer Guide to Uniform Tire Quality Grading" »

How often do you gas up? Change your oil? Or get your car, pickup truck, or SUV washed? South Florida drivers who think they are on top of their automobile's maintenance may be overlooking an important safety item on their checklist -- one that could lead to serious or even fatal car accidents.

A recent news report echoes what highway and driving safety advocates have been telling consumers for years: Many drivers miss the boat when it comes to checking their auto tire pressure often enough. Improperly inflated tires can lead to tire failure, loss of vehicle control, and serious, even deadly car accidents.

West Palm Beach, Florida defective tire accident lawyers have knowledge regarding product liability laws related to defective automotive products, tire recalls, and tire blowout accidents.

(Readers may recall that several years ago, Firestone Bridgestone had a massive tire recall related to tire failure -- leading to several deadly SUV roller accidents. At the time, Bridgestone cited that underinflated tires may have led to some of the accidents; however Ford -- whose Ford Explorers where involved in many of the fatal SUV rollover accidents -- asserted that tire pressure was not the primary problem.)

Florida drivers should be aware that maintaining tire pressure per the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation (which can be found on the sticker inside the driver's door) is an important aspect of regular car, truck, and SUV safety maintenance. Automotive experts state that underinflated tires accelerate tire wear and affect vehicle handling -- as they are more prone to skidding and poor performance on curves.

Another tire safety issue that should be of concern to Florida drivers is driving on aging tires -- including driving on spare tires that have been packed away for years and never used. Many Florida motorists are unaware of tire date coding -- and that after several years, the rubber can deteriorate from the inside out. This is true in Florida, where the year-round heat wears on tires as drivers traverse I-95 and other Florida highways, streets, and roads.

Sources:

10 Driving Mistakes You Probably Make
Women's Day on Yahoo.com Oct. 26, 2010

How to Check Tire Pressure and Inflate Tires
Edmunds.com April 8, 2008

Related Florida Accident Attorney Articles:

Defective Tire Accident in Florida Causes Catastrophic Brain Injury

Florida Drivers, Check Your Tires: Bridgestone Recalls Firestone and LeMans Brand Tires

Florida commercial drivers with Dunlop tires on their vehicles should be aware of an upcoming Goodyear safety recall. According to the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall report, Goodyear has scheduled a tire safety recall to begin on or around Sept. 30, 2010.

Goodyear will recall some Dunlop SP193 commercial trailer tires, size 295/75R22.5, produced from Jan. 24 -- May 29, 2010. The NHTSA report states that these Dunlop tires could lose air, causing the driver to drive on underinflated tires. NHTSA safety studies report that tires that are underinflated and overloaded can cause serious car accidents.

This Dunlop commercial trailer tire safety recall is NHTSA campaign no. 10T018000.

The report goes on to say that tire manufacturer Goodyear will notify owners whose names are on record and will visually inspect the tires to see if this particular tire defect is present. Defective tires will be replaced free of charge, while tires that do not have the defect will not be replaced.

As Miami, Florida defective tire accident attorneys know -- a vehicle's tires is the rubber that comes between the driver and the road. This also goes for commercial truck drivers, who must maintain control of their large vehicles at all times to avoid deadly truck accidents. When defective tires malfunction, serious car and truck accidents can occur and injury to the driver, passengers, and other motorists can be catastrophic.

Florida drivers should also be aware of the issue of driving on aging tires . The tire rubber can deterioriate from the inside due to the age of tires and the Florida heat -- which can lead to sudden tire failure and deadly blowout accidents.

NHTSA SAFETY DEFECT/NONCOMPLIANCE NOTICES RECEIVED DURING AUGUST 2010 (PDF, scroll down to "Tires")

Dunlop Tire Recall
The Auto Channel Sept. 4, 2010

Related Web Resources

Goodyear: Owners of Dunlop SP193 Commercial Tires may call 1-800-321-2136

Dunlop Commercial Truck Tires

SaferCar.gov (NHTSA): Tire Ratings and Safety

Flamboyent NBA icon and reality TV star Dennis Rodman walked away from a rollover SUV accident on I-95 near Fort Lauderdale, Florida last week.

The Miami Herald along with other news media ran an Associated Press report that Rodman was a passenger in a Range Rover traveling north on Interstate 95 in Broward County, Florida. According to the AP, Florida Highway Patrol stated that the SUV flipped over three times after experiencing some sort of tire problem. Passers-by reportedly helped Rodman out of the crashed SUV; he emerged without serious injuries, as did another female passenger in the car.

The SUV driver was reportedly taken to Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with non life-threatening injuries.

Mr. Rodman was fortunate to walk away from this SUV roll-over accident on a Florida highway. Ft Lauderdale, Florida SUV accident injury lawyers are aware that these types of roll-over SUV accidents -- which can happen in a heartbeat -- can be deadly. Research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that SUV and other roll-over vehicle accidents have a higher traffic accident fatality rate.

Defective tires and driving on aged tires can cause SUV roll overs and other serious car accidents.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman escapes injury in Fort Lauderdale crash
MiamiHerald.com Aug. 1, 2010

Dennis Rodman in Car Accident
WTVY.com Aug. 1, 2010

Related Web Resources

HowStuffWorks: Roll Over Accidents Explained

SaferCar.gov: Rollover Crashes

As if faulty hybrid brakes, sticky gas pedals, and millions of dollars in government fines weren't enough, Toyota can add a defective spare tire cable product recall to its growing list of consumer issues.

News reports state that 600,000 Toyota Sienna minivans manufactured from 1997 to 2010 are part of a new recall, due to risk of the spare tire carrier cable becoming corroded and breaking, and the spare tire falling out onto the road. While the concern is centered around vehicles originally sold in cold weather states where road salt is used, Florida motorists who drive a pre-owned Sienna should contact Toyota for instructions, or they can call the NHTSA Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Defective tire accidents can cause serious injury and death to motorists -- not just for the drivers of the affected vehicles, but for other motorists who share Florida's highways and roads with them.

As experienced Florida tire defect attorneys, we are keenly aware that the safety of spare tires can easily be overlooked -- sometimes with disastrous results. Spare tires are stashed away out of sight, in car trunks, on the backs of SUVs, and underneath minivans, where drivers don't think about them until they get a flat. In Florida, the extreme heat can cause spare tires to deteriorate from the inside, and a seemingly new or unused spare tire can actually be unsafe to use. (Read more on Florida driving and tire date coding, an important driving safety issue that most consumers are unaware of.)

Toyota recently agreed to pay $16.4 million in fines, the largest government penalty ever against an automaker, for not revealing information re: the sticking gas pedal recall. Defective accelerators that consumers have reported caused their Toyotas to "run away" uncontrollably at horrifically high speeds have been blamed in fatal car accidents around the country.

In addition, Toyota has recalled and stopped manufacturing the Lexus GX 460 and the Land Cruiser Prado after Consumer Reports branded the luxury SUV with its dreaded "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" bullet, citing read-end stability issues on turns that could increase risk for roll-over SUV accidents.

Toyota Recalls 600,000 Sienna Minivans
The Auto Channel April 20, 2010

Toyota Sienna recall spare tire cable corrosion
Examiner.com April 17, 2010

Lexus to Recall S.U.V. in Another Black Mark to Reputation
The New York Times April 21, 2010

Don't Buy: Safety Risk--2010 Lexus GX 460
ConsumerReports.org April 13, 2010

This past week has been particularly dangerous and deadly on Fort Myers, Florida, area roads and highways. Florida Highway Patrol and news sources reported the following traffic accidents:

• On Tuesday, a car accident with a school bus occurred in Fort Myers Shores at Parkview and 5th Street, injuring three students and the bus driver. The driver of the motor vehicle that struck the schoolbus faces charges.
• On Monday, Nicholas Contessa, age 58, of Fort Myers, Florida, was killed on I-75 when he lost control of his vehicle following a tire blowout accident. The victim's car was the only vehicle involved in this fatal Florida highway rollover accident.
• Last Friday, a pedestrian was killed in North Fort Myers, Florida, in a hit-and-run accident on West North Shore Ave and Business 41. Police were seeking the driver of a white van involved in this fatal pedestrian traffic accident in Lee County, Florida.

Fort Myers, Florida car accident lawyers may be consulted in cases where negligent or reckless driving may have contributed to serious traffic accidents resulting in injury or death.

Accident in Fort Myers Shores injures four
NBC-2.com Jan. 12, 2010

Victim in fatal Fort Myers I-75 crash identified
NewsPress.com Jan. 11, 2010

One person dead in North Fort Myers accident
NBC-2.com Jan. 8, 20108

When you purchase new tires for your car, van, truck or SUV, you drive away with the impression that you've invested in brand-new tires for your vehicle. What could be safer than new store-bought tires that have never hit the pavement? But are those new tires really new? You won't know for sure unless you check the tire date code, which the manufacturer stamps on the outer sidewall of the tire.

Florida tire defect attorneys Jason and Debi Chalik were featured on Comcast Newsmakers discussing tire date coding -- an important piece of information that the average consumer doesn't know is there. "If you look at the outside ring of the tire, there's a four-digit code," said Attorney Jason Chalik. "That four-digit code tells you the week and the year the tire was made. So if you see '1205' -- that means the tire was made the twelfth week of 2005."

Why Unused Tires More Than 6 Years Old May Be Unsafe to Drive
The Chaliks believe the tire industry should set an expiration date on tires more than six years old. "The U.S. Department of Transportation has done their own research and has made Congress aware that tires should not be driven if they've never touched pavement and they're more than six years old," said Attorney Debi Chalik, in an interview from the University of Miami. "There's an inherent defect where the metal inside the tire corrodes and the rubber itself dries out. The tire industry is aware of this."

The law firm cited the case of a client who was involved in a serious car accident causing permanent brain injury. The client needed a new tire for his SUV. The tire store he patronized put his spare on the rear passenger side of the car, and then they put a tire he purchased in the spare position. Though the original spare looked fine on the outside, it was actually more than 8 years old and had deteriorated on the inside. The tire tread came apart while the young man was driving and he lost control of his SUV, which flipped several times and ejected him. Defective tires and tire failure can cause loss of vehicle control and serious Florida traffic accidents, such as this one. "Unfortunately, our client suffered a catastrophic brain injury and is currently at a brain injury institute," Attorney Chalik said.

The tire store in this case claimed they did not know that tires more than 6 years old may be dangerous to drive on. The Chaliks urge all motorists to check the date codes on the tires they're currently driving on, as well as their spare tires. If any are more than 10 years old, consider getting them checked and replaced. To watch the interview with the Chaliks in its entirety, go to Firm News / Successes and scroll down to "Debi Chalik and Jason Chalik Discuss Tire Safety."

Related Web Resources

TireRack.com: Determining the Age of a Tire

NHTSA: Tire Safety: Everything Rides on It (PDF brochure)

Anyone who's experienced a flat tire on Florida's roads and highways knows how important it is to have a good spare. But is that full-size spare tire that's been stored in the back of your car, truck, or SUV, unused for years, really safe? Your spare may look new, as it's never hit the pavement. But there's a potential danger that many Florida drivers are unaware of -- one that can cause serious and even fatal car accidents.

Aged Tires and Tire Blowout Accidents
Tires that look brand new may actually have been manufactured many years ago. "Every tire has a code and is stamped with the exact week and year in which the tire was made," said Attorney Jason Chalik in an interview conducted at the University of Miami. "The average consumer doesn't know that." To learn more about how to find the tire manufacturer date code on your tires, visit our Tire Date Coding and Safety webpage.

As experienced Florida tire product liability lawyers, the Chaliks have studied the factors that affect tire safety and tire defects, as well as tire date coding and the perils of driving on a spare that may look new but in reality, is old and unsafe. "We are currently handling the case of a young man who was driving on I-595, and the rear passenger tire tread completely fell apart," said Attorney Debi Chalik. "The entire tire unraveled. The tire was the original spare tire with the vehicle. It happened to be 10 years old at the time of the accident. What we learned through the case is that even though that tire had never hit pavement before, and the tread looked perfectly fine...the inside of the tire actually corrodes over time."

Added Attorney Jason Chalik: "We believe there should be an expiration date; that a tire that has not been driven and is six years old or more is unsafe to drive. With the heat of Florida, the rubber deteriorates." For video of the full interview, visit our Firm News / Successes page and see "Debi Chalik and Jason Chalik Discuss Tire Safety," Comcast Newsmakers, January 2009.

For more general information on tire recalls and defective tires, please visit our Tire Defects webpage.

Related Web Resources

NHTSA: Vehicles and Equipment: Tires

SaferCars.gov: Tire Safety Ratings Database

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its list of Safety Defect/Noncompliance Notices for August 2009. While no notices were listed under the specific category for Tires and defective tires, a related item on tire pressure safety appears under Vehicles.

Jaguar is recalling 34 of its luxury XF cars, year 2010, because the tire placard label information regarding air pressure does not correspond to the tires on those cars. Incorrect tire inflation can cause vehicle instability, which in turn can lead to serious car crashes. The Jaguar recall commenced on Aug. 19, 2009. Other NHTSA motor vehicle related recalls for the month included...

• Curt Class 1 receiver hitches, P/N 11500, which were sold for use on Nissan Infiniti EX35 crossover SUVs years 2008 - 2010. The car bumper may pull away from the frame if the hitch is at maximum load, which could lead to serious traffic accidents.
• AFX recalled certain FX-28 motorcycle helmets that failed to comply with federal safety standards for penetration. When a motorcycle accident occurs, the operator's helmet may be the one thing that saves his or her life. The recall is scheduled to begin in Sept. 2009.

While it doesn't make the news headlines as often as the issue of defective tires, aging tires and tire date coding is also a safety concern for motorists.

A Florida defective tires lawyer is familiar with product liability and consumer safety protection laws as they relate to the performance of motor vehicle tires, and other products and equipment essential to the safe operation of our cars, trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles.

SAFETY DEFECT/NONCOMPLIANCE NOTICES
RECEIVED DURING AUGUST 2009 (PDF file)
NHTSA Monthly Recall Reports, Sept. 2, 2009

Related Web Resources

NHTSA Defects & Recalls: Monthly Recall Reports

Jaguar USA

Curt Manufacturing

AFX North America