Young Boy Injured in Merced County Accident
I’m Ed Smith, a Merced car accident lawyer. A recent car accident near Delhi left a 2-year-old with major injuries. At approximately 10:45 in the morning, a 25-year-old Winton woman was driving her 1998 Chevrolet Astro van northbound along Highway 99 in the vicinity of Shanks Road when she felt a vibration coming from her vehicle and applied her brakes. While doing so, the woman lost control of her vehicle and veered to the right of the roadway, causing the vehicle to go up an embankment and overturn between the highway and the off-ramp for Shanks Road. The woman’s 2-year-old boy was reportedly ejected from the vehicle and trapped under the vehicle a short time before a Good Samaritan stopped to move the vehicle and free the adolescent. The young boy was transported via air ambulance to the Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera for treatment of serious injuries. Officials have not yet publicly released an update on his condition.
Cause of Accident
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) as an investigation is underway. Alcohol nor drugs appear to have been a factor in the collision. However, the CHP attributed the vibration to a tire tread separation. The Chevrolet driver, identified as the mother of the 2-year-old boy.
Tire Tread Separation
This dangerous condition occurs when the tread of the tire is separated from the body or casing of the tire. This is sometimes caused by a defect commonly found in steel belted radial tires, which are used on most passenger vehicles driven today. Some of the potential causes of tire tread separation include:
- Exceeding the limit of tire life can further increase the chances of tread separation leading to traction loss and blowouts;
- Improper flat repair, by using a patch or plug, can cause tread separation if the wound area was not correctly prepared prior to repair;
- Inadequate manufacturing or poor design of tires can cause tread separations as defects in the process can prevent the steel belting and tread from bonding appropriately;
- Overinflated or underinflated tires can cause accelerated wear and heat generation, preventing the tire from absorbing abnormalities in the road like potholes.
Signs of Tire Tread Separation
Inspecting your vehicle regularly, especially your tires, is the first step in ensuring your safety on the road. Below are the common signs of tire tread separation:
- Feeling a slight vibration while driving your vehicle is one of the early warning signs of tire tread separation;
- Cracks within the sidewalls of the tires, uneven tire tread wear or tread that has been worn thin;
- Physical signs like blisters or bumps forming on the tread of the tire can continue to grow in size until the tire fails.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Car accidents caused by tire blowouts are not always a result of motorist error. These accidents can sometimes happen due to a defect in the manufacturing process of tires. When this occurs, a products liability claim may be brought against a manufacturer to cover resulting damages from consumer use of a defective product. For more information, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in Merced.
Merced Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Merced car accident lawyer. Car accidents have the potential to cause devastating injuries. These accidents can be compounded by the agony a parent can experience when their child has been hurt in a crash. If this has happened to you or someone in your family, I am here to provide you with compassionate, free and friendly case advice. Contact me any time at (209) 227-1931 or free of toll at (800) 404-5400.
Since 1982, I have helped families of Merced and surrounding areas in recovering for damages associated with personal injury and wrongful death.
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I belong to the Million Dollar Advocates as a member of California. This forum is comprised of trial lawyers who have obtained million dollar awards for a client in case settlements and verdicts.
To see how I resolved prior cases, go to my Verdicts and Settlements page.
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