If a Tire Flies Off a Truck and Causes an Accident, Who is Liable?

This video features Kathy McArthur, a Medical Malpractice attorney based in Georgia.

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If a tire flies off a truck and causes an accident, who is liable for the damage?

This Quick Question features Kathy McArthur, a truck accident attorney with McArthur Law Firm. She has offices in Macon and Atlanta, and she assists clients throughout Georgia.

Contact her now by calling 888-511-3130 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge to contact her and learn about your legal options. You owe no attorney fees out of pocket. The attorney is only paid a percentage of the verdict or settlement if the case is successful.

Who is liable for truck accident damages?

Many people and entities share responsibility for keeping trucks safe and functional on the road. As such, any number of them can be liable when something breaks down and causes an accident. Some of these potential parties include:

  • The driver, for making unsafe driving decisions, failing to perform routine maintenance, failing to perform safety checks, or noticing the danger and taking the truck on the road anyway
  • The company that employs the driver for failing to provide proper safety training
  • The company that owns the truck for failing to keep it proper working order
  • The company that is leasing the truck for violating the terms of the lease in a way that puts drivers in danger

Additionally, if poor road conditions played a factor in dislodging the tire, municipal bodies could be held liable for accidents caused by excessive potholes, road damage, or dangerously designed roads.

How can an attorney help after a truck accident?

Truck accidents are notoriously complicated. As explained above, many parties are involved in the trucks you see on the road. Sometimes different companies lease and own the tractor and the trailer, meaning that depending on which wheel flew off, different parties could be liable.

An attorney can investigate the scene of the accident and all relevant evidence to determine what happened. They can gather witness testimony and work with truck accident reconstructionists to put together an account of what went wrong. They can subpoena driving records and other documents from trucking companies.

It’s important that anyone hurt in a truck accident act fast to get a lawyer helping them out. As soon as a truck accident occurs, the trucking company is dispatching its own squad of insurance adjusters to help build their defense. You need someone equally qualified on your side, and they need to act fast before important evidence begins to “disappear.”

With the help of an attorney, victims can recover compensation to cover:

  • Past and future medical bills
  • Past and future lost wages from being unable to work
  • Costs to cover vehicle damage
  • Medication, surgery, physical therapy
  • Non-economic damage to compensation for loss, trauma, pain, suffering, and other effects that are harder to put a price on.

To learn more, contact Kathy McArthur now by calling 888-511-3130 or by submitting a contact form on this page. She assists clients throughout Georgia, and she has offices in Macon and Atlanta.

There is no charge to contact her and learn about your legal options. You owe no attorney fees out of pocket. The attorney is only paid a percentage of the verdict or settlement if the case is successful.

Video Transcript:

Rob Rosenthal:

So who's to blame if a semi-truck tire flies off and you're injured? That's what we ask Georgia attorney Kathy McArthur in this AskTheLawyers.com Quick Question.

Kathy McArthur:

All of the people who have had anything to do with the truck are responsible for the condition of the truck. And they're actually covered and they're controlled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations if it's a truck that travels between states. So the driver is definitely responsible. The company that he works for is definitely responsible. A lot of times the truck itself is owned by one company and that they lease it to another company. And sometimes the tractor is one company, then the trailer is another company and there are wheels on both, wheels and tires. So the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations prescribe that all trucks must be inspected on a routine basis by the driver every time he puts up on the road.

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