The Orlando Sentinel had a very sad piece today about a Lake County family that was literally torn apart by a tire blowout accident on Interstate 95, just north of Palm Coast Parkway. Apparently, a large and extended family was traveling back from a family reunion in North Carolina when the left rear tire on their Ford Expedition exploded, causing the vehicle to lose control, leave the roadway, and crash into some trees. Several of the passengers were ejected.
Reportedly, five of the adults in the vehilce were killed, and at least four children were badly injured and taken to hospitals in Daytona Beach and Palm Coast.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that two of the people who were killed had seatbelts on, and three others did not. This should neutralize the seatbelt defense problem I have previously identified in at least one other post.
In my experience as an Orlando automobile accident lawyer, tire blowouts are almost always deadly, and very regularly involve tires that has been sold as used or retreaded, or involve defectively manufactured tires. One of the big challenges faced by grieving family members is be alert enough to make sure that as many pieces of the tire as possible are located and preserved for inspection by a qualified expert.
Tire blowout cases are always aggressively defended, so I hope this family from Eustis takes some time to a lawyer with experience and expertise in handling these kinds of cases. Our hearts go out to this Lake County family.
Call Kim with questions at 407-644-4444.
