National Truck Tire Flat Spot Accident Attorney

It is unacceptable for a trucking company with a fleet of vehicles to allow their drivers to operate trucks with tires that have flat spots. Unfortunately, many negligent trucking companies will fail to outfit their vehicles with functioning tires, and that could lead to a serious trucking accident. If you or a family member was seriously injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle, you should contact an experienced National truck tire flat spot accident attorney.

The Morrison Law Firm acknowledges how a serious truck accident could impact the enjoyment of your personal life and have several consequences upon your career, and we are here for you. Our firm is dedicated to providing injured parties with the legal representation they need to fight for compensation for their injuries. To schedule a free legal consultation to discuss your claim, contact The Morrison Law Firm at (334) 513-1323, or contact us online.

Dangers of Truck Tire Flat Spots

Truck tire flat spots affect the tread of a tire. This is the portion of the tire that is designed to grip the road and affect the maneuverability that a vehicle possesses. Flat spots can be caused by several reasons, like leaving a truck parked for days or weeks at a time. Other causes of tire flat spots include:

• Parking a vehicle in cold or freezing temperatures for a long period of time
• Having an uneven amount of weight placed on a vehicle’s tires
• Suddenly slamming on the brakes and causing the tires to skid
• Sudden stops on a vehicle that does not have an anti-lock braking system

This is not an exhaustive list. Many of these causes of tire flat-spotting will leave a tire with permanent damage. If truck tires with flat spots are not quickly replaced, a trucking company may be responsible for an accident caused due to a tire flat spot. The following is a list of the dangers of truck tire flat spots.

High Risk of Hydroplaning

Hydroplaning occurs when water comes between a vehicle’s tires and its contact with the road. If this happens, a driver could temporarily lose control of the vehicle for long enough to cause a serious accident. Modern tires have deep grooves in the tread to avoid water being caught between the tire and the road.

If a truck tire has a flat spot, there is a higher likelihood of the driver losing control if the truck hydroplanes as the tires will not have grooves deep enough to shuffle away water under the tires. This is especially true if the truck driver panics and slams on their brakes to avoid hydroplaning, possibly causing the truck to spin out or jackknife.

It is also a poor idea to use a tire with flat spots to drive in snow or ice, as the tires will be unable to hold traction when driving in either type of these weather conditions.

Increased Loss of Tire Pressure

In addition to making it difficult to maneuver a vehicle, flat spots can cause a tire to lose air pressure more quickly than normal tires. Tires with flat spots and low tire pressure will make it more likely that a truck driver will experience skidding when they have to make a sudden stop. As mentioned, skidding will only cause a tire to develop more flat spots and become more dangerous.

Filling a tire with air is not the solution to deal with the loss of air pressure due to a flat spot. The tire will continue to lose air and should be replaced immediately.

Tire Blowouts

Another possibility of driving on tires with flat spots is that the tire is more prone to a blowout. Tire tread is not only designed for a vehicle to maintain control when traveling on the road but to also protect against road debris. For example, a tire with a deep tread is more likely to protect against a nail or other sharp objects on the road.

A tire with a flat spot will have little to no protection from road hazards that could puncture the tire. If this happens when a truck driver is traveling at a high rate of speed, the tire could blowout, and the driver could lose control of the truck.

It is important to note that it is usually not an easy fix to repair a tire flat spot. While driving on the tires for a period of time could round out the flat part of the tire, it is best to service the vehicle to ensure that the problem does not continue. However, some trucking companies may take shortcuts to repair tire flat spots that could lead to a serious trucking accident.

Work with Our National Truck Tire Flat-spotting Accident Lawyer Today

If you or a family member was the victim of a trucking accident due to a tire flat spot, consult with an experienced National tire flat spot accident lawyer. Tire defect litigation lawyer Rick Morrison has decades of experience handling a wide variety of tire defect cases, and he would be proud to use this experience to represent you. To schedule a free legal consultation, call The Morrison Law Firm at (334) 513-1323.