The Florida teens were driving in a Ford Explorer on Interstate 295 when the tread on the left rear Cooper Cobra tire separated, causing the vehicle to flip, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of one of the injured teens against Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and three other defendants.

Cooper tires have had an “outrageously high number of tread separations,” the teen’s  lawyer said. There have been other Cooper Tire lawsuits filed and settled in the past several years, including one with a $32 million verdict.

“People have been dying all over the United States for a number of years because of Cooper Tires,” the teen’s lawyer said. A Cooper executive responded that the crash had nothing to do with the tire’s design or safety.

The attorney also commented that there is no indication that the tires weren’t properly maintained and that the owners had taken the vehicle to a service station to have two tires replaced just two weeks before the accident, indicating that if the defective tire had needed to be replaced, the service station would have noted that.

Source:

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-08/lawyer-blames-tires-crash-killed-4-teens

Load Rite Trailers Inc. is recalling Model year 2008 throug 2010 watercraft personal trailers because the capacity of the wheel rim does not match that of the tire, which compromises the safety of the wheel assembly and increases the risk of a trailer accident, crash and / or injury to the driver of the vehicle towing the trailer or other drivers on the road. Dealers will replace the tires on the trailers for free. Consumers can contact Load Rite for a free replacement.

Watercraft Trailer Recall Product Description

Product liability attorneys and trailer accident lawyers investigate product defects that could cause accidents and injuries. Those injured by defective equipment may have a legal claim against the defective product manufacturer, distributor or others.

If tires on your vehicle are not inflated with the proper amount of pressure, this can reduce the vehicle’s handling and increase the risk of a car accident due to improper tire maintenance. As a result of the inaccurate labeling, the tires are also in violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, which regulates tire selection and rims.

BMW Vehicle Tire Recall Product Details

BMW will give notice to owners and distribute accurate replacement labels.

Tire Recalls: Product Liability and Car Accidents

Under product liability law, if a product, such as a tire, is defective either in its design or marketing and instructions, the manufacturer and other parties may be held responsible for injuries and accidents caused as a result of the design defect or inaccurate or incomplete instructions.

The car accident lawyers and product liability lawyers at Pritzker Olsen attorneys have extensive experience investigating vehicle accidents and potentially defective products that may have caused or contributed to the accident.

The Avon/Cobra AV72 / 240/50R16 84V tires are being recalled because they do not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 119, which refers to pneumatic tire specifications for motorcycles and vehicles with a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) over 10,000 pounds. If the breaker/ply separates on these tires, the tread could separate from the tire casing, which would pose a motorcycle crash risk that could result in serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injury.

Pritzker Olsen attorneys represented one such client, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident. Find more tire safety information and more motorcycle accident lawsuit information.

Attorneys for Cooper argued that the tire was simply old and worn, and also that the vehicle’s driver, Alfred Lang, was driving too fast and broke so suddenly in reaction to the tire blowout that it exacerbated the problem. The defense attorneys also highlighted the fact that Lang’s driver’s license was only a year old, arguing that he was simply an inexperienced driver.

However, the plaintiffs’ attorney argued the accident was a direct result of a defect in the tire, saying “if this tread separation doesn’t occur, this accident doesn’t happen,” according to a Bloomberg News article. The attorney also presented documents showing Cooper executives discussing rates of tire failure and allegedly failing to fix tire problems for four years.

In the end, the jury awarded:

• $28.4 million to Ivon Toe, 39, who became a quadriplegic because of the accident
• A total of $65,000 for her two children
• $649,000 to the estate of Assata Karlar, 28, who was killed in the accident
• $420,000 to her husband Gaye
• More than $1 million total for their five children

Cooper Tire was also ordered to pay $1.5 million in punitive damages. The company has said it will appeal the case. Cooper is, according to the Bloomberg article, the second-largest tire manufacturer in the United States. The company recently recalled tires for tread separation issues similar to those in this case. Defective and recalled tires can be hazardous to drivers and passengers, and consumers should keep themselves informed about tire recalls and also tire safety.

The product liability lawyers at Pritzker Olsen, P.A. keep information on tire safety, care and maintenance on their web site, as well as other product safety and defective product lawsuit information, for consumers’ reference.

Source:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aMqqH8qA8F2Y

“Tread chunks may separate from the tire casing resulting in body damage to the vehicle or the driver may lose control resulting in a crash.”

The recall includes 7,769 tires manufactured by Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. with the following models:

• COOPER / DISCOVERER H/T / 245/70R17
• COOPER / DISCOVERER LSX / 245/70R17

Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc., recalled the 2,183 tires after discovering that some were manufactured with a wrinkle in the upper sidewall, which could eventually develop into a crack that could cause the tire to fail, posing a car accident risk and risk of serious injury resulting from a crash or possibly death.

According to the NHTSA:

“Toyo will notify owners and replace the affected tires free of charge, which includes mounting and balancing.”

The recalled tires include the following models:

• Nitto Terra Grappler All-Terrain 305/50R20 120S
• Toyo Open Country A/T / 305/50R20
• Toyo Proxes ST II / 305/50R20