Injuries are Possible from Car Tires
I’m Ed Smith, a Folsom Personal Injury Lawyer. A vehicle requires regular maintenance and upkeep. Part of this involves changing and rotating tires in addition to making sure that they are inflated to the right amount of pressure. Failure to do so can lead to serious physical injuries.
People should be careful whenever they are dealing with car tires. Most modern cars have a detailed list of tire sizes and pressures that are required to ensure proper function of the tires. These are measured by “PSI” and there is typically a range within which tires function appropriately. Improper pressures within tires can lead to a decrease in the fuel efficiency of a vehicle and will trip a warning light inside the car. Furthermore, everyone should make sure that their car tires are cold when they put air inside of them. As a car drives, the tires start to heat up. This makes the rubber more pliable, meaning that the tire will expand more quickly. If the expansion happens too fast, a tire could explode. This can lead to serious injury, for those in the immediate vicinity, or even wrongful death. A series of case reports have been published on injuries that have occurred from car tires.
The Results from Case Reports
Some medical professionals reviewed all the injuries involving car tires in their hospital over a period of several years. What they found was a higher rate of pedestrian injuries than other types of injuries from car tires. They located 35 patients who had sustained injuries from car tires with the majority of them suffering injuries to the front part of their right foot. Over 90 percent of the patients were children. Males were more common than females.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Injuries
The patients all initially went to an emergency room with complaints of severe pain in one or both of their lower extremity. A physical examination almost always revealed pathognomonic tire track lines and bruising on the injury site. Patients were taken for extensive imaging of their injuries. While injuries to the feet were the majority of findings, patients also sustained injuries to their ankle, tibia, and fibula. Most patients required surgery to place the bones back into their proper position. Patients also needed a significant amount of rehab to restore the full function of their lower extremity.
Preventing Future Injuries
The patients described in these case reports all suffered significant injuries from car tires. While most people have heard of injuries resulting from tires that are overinflated and subsequently exploded, this is only one of the many ways that injuries from car tires can occur. Injuries to pedestrians from car tires are often overlooked. In locations where children are allowed to play in the streets, it is vital for parents to tell their children to look out for cars. More importantly, drivers must keep their eyes open for other people who might be walking on the road. In particular, kids are often too short to be seen in a rearview mirror. This makes them prone to being struck by cars or run over with the tires, notably while a vehicle is backing up. When possible, drivers should invest in added safety features for their vehicles, such as cross traffic alert systems and blind spot monitoring devices. These technological advances can help avoid tragedies.
Personal Injury Lawyers in Folsom
I’m Ed Smith, a Folsom Personal Injury Lawyer. If you’ve been injured in an accident, call me for free, friendly advice at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400.
I am a California member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Many of our verdicts and settlements from prior cases are seen here.
You’re welcome to go on Avvo, Yelp, and Google to read reviews from our past clients.
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