Tire blowouts on motorcycles happening across country

Motorcyclists in the Reno area and throughout the rest of Nevada will want to be particularly aware of their tires, particularly if they are Goodyear tires.

Over the last several years, there have been several motorcycle accidents caused by sudden blowouts of these tires. Motorcyclists are particularly prone to losing control in the aftermath of a blowout, in part because motorcycles are smaller than cars and only have two wheels on the surface of the road. Once a motorcyclist loses control of his or her bike, a serious or even fatal accident can result.

To this point, across the country, five deaths have been reported due to defective motorcycle tires. Additionally, over 20 people have reported serious injuries. To this point, at least 10 suits have been filed against Goodyear alleging that their motorcycle tires blew out, causing an accident. While Goodyear won 2 of these cases, the other 8 were settled.

While suits have been filed, the federal agency in charge of regulating auto parts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has yet to issue a recall of these tires or even to start an administrative investigation. Some blame this on a lack of funding and also a lack of permanent leadership.

As this blog has discussed before, motorcyclists can sue the manufacturers of defective motorcycle parts, such as tires that tend to blow out, when those parts contribute to an accident. The motorcyclist or any injured passengers can claim damages for things like medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. To do so, however, it may be helpful to get the help of an experienced Nevada personal injury attorney in filing a product liability lawsuit.

Source:  Reveal, ” Fatal motorcycle tire blowouts not enough to prompt Goodyear recall ,” Jennifer Gollan, May 2, 2018.