As long as a truck’s wheels remain on that large vehicle, they should not pose a hazard. However, if one or more of them were to become loose, then the wheel’s movement could pose a danger to other vehicles.
What might cause a wheel to become loose?
• Insufficient air in inflated tire, causing it to drag on road
• The metal is no longer connected to the rubber: That could cause pieces of rubber or metal to fly about.
• A defective rim: One that does not fit properly onto the rubber of the tire.
• An over-tightening of the certain studs that were used on the wheel
• A utilization of cheap parts, instead of those that were designed to keep the tire from coming loose
What sort of damages might result from sudden appearance of a loose tire?
• Medical bills sent to an injured victim
• Future medical needs of the victim of an accident
• Lost income for victim, during recovery period
• Loss of earning potential for an injured victim
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of the enjoyment of life
• Loss of an opportunity
• Burial expenses, if victim had died.
Who might be held liable for covering any of those damages?
The group that designed the wheel: That would be the case if the design did not allow the product to perform in the way that the user expected it to perform.
The manufacturer: That would be the case if someone in the manufacturing plant had failed to follow the presented design. As a result, the manufactured wheel had been made too small, too large, too wide, too narrow, too thick or too thin.
The marketing team: That would be the liable group, if the same team had failed to ensure placement of clear instructions in the packaged wheel parts, the ones that were sent to different retailers.
The owner of the truck: That could be one of the liable parties if the owner had failed to arrange for maintenance of the truck’s wheels.
The personal injury lawyer in Arcadia knows that the driver could be responsible, if he had taken the truck into an unsafe area, such as a construction zone. The shipper could be liable, if the weight of the shipment had not been shared with the trucking company. The truck’s wheels might have been affected by the weight of the load.
A seller of tire parts might be held responsible for covering the damages, if he or she had chosen to claim that a certain package contained components that were designed to prevent a loosening of any wheels, when the same package did not contain such items.
A government agency might be liable, if it had failed to provide sufficient lighting in section of road with a warning sign.
