Pain and suffering is harder to document than a repair bill. Specific examples of daily limitations, honest records of changes, and consistent supporting documents help explain a bicycle crash’s personal impact.
When a tire fails before or during a crash, the tire, wheel, vehicle, maintenance history, pressure information, repair records, photographs, and recall information can be important to preserve before the condition is changed.
If safe, photograph the vehicle and tire condition before towing, disposal, remounting, repair, or replacement. Keep the tire and wheel when possible, as well as tire identification information, purchase and installation records, rotation or alignment records, service invoices, vehicle data, crash report, tow documents, photographs, video, and witness details.
Keep the tire’s identity and custody together
After immediate safety and medical needs are addressed, identify who has the vehicle, tire and wheel and what work is proposed. Ask that the relevant items and original photographs be preserved while the need for an inspection is discussed. Record any towing, storage, removal or repair that has already occurred; do not describe later condition as though it were a photograph of the original scene.
Do not enter traffic, crawl under an unstable vehicle or attempt to remount or test a damaged tire to gather evidence. A qualified service or inspection professional can document markings and condition through safe access.
Check official safety information without assuming the cause
NHTSA explains that the DOT Tire Identification Number, or TIN, includes the tire’s manufacturing week and year in its final four digits. The TIN is different from the vehicle’s VIN. Preserve the tire brand, model, size and complete available identification markings when checking whether a tire-specific recall applies; a vehicle-only search may not answer that question.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides tire-safety information and a recall lookup. A recall notice, a worn tire, a road hazard, a service record, or a crash report alone does not establish why a failure occurred or who is responsible. Preserve the original record and verify the vehicle identification number, tire model, date, and applicable recall details.
North Carolina’s Products Liability Act defines product-liability actions and states that strict liability in tort does not apply to them in North Carolina. The facts, product condition, maintenance, warnings, causation, and current law require record-specific review.
Rosensteel Fleishman Car Accident & Injury Lawyers provides general information about discussing a North Carolina injury matter involving a tire failure.
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