When you rent a vehicle, you expect the vehicle to be reliable. Of course, rental vehicles should be free of any mechanical issues or any other maintenance issues that could pose a safety risk to drivers, passengers, and others on the road. When a rental company allows unsafe tires on its vehicles, incidents are likely to occur. These incidents can result in injuries that can be life-changing or even fatal. In general, these incidents involve negligence on the part of the rental car company.

This is based on the rental car company’s legal duty to provide vehicles that are safe to be used on public roads. When companies fail to meet this responsibility, victims and their families could have grounds to file lawsuits and receive compensation.

If you or a member of your family sustained injuries in an incident caused by bald tires on a rental car, it is important that you explore the legal options available to you. Here at the Downtown L.A. Law Group, our lawyers have decades of experience and are more than ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to fight for your rights and recover the maximum payout available for your claim. If you are ready to explore the legal options available to you and your right to sue, contact our team as soon as possible.

Understanding Why Bald Tires are Dangerous

The term “bald tires” refers to tires that have worn down so much that the tread depth is low or completely smooth. Tire tread is essential for gripping the road, especially if road conditions are wet or slippery. If tires do not have adequate tread, then loss of traction can occur. For rental vehicles, in specific, bald tires are very concerning because renters assume that the car is safe. Most people do not thoroughly inspect tires or tread depth before driving the vehicle because they trust that the rental vehicle has been maintained properly.

Tire Safety Regulations: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) sets guidelines for tire performance/labeling. Most states require a minimum tread depth of 2/32 of an inch for legal operation of vehicles. Rental companies must adhere to these regulations.

Bald Tires Can Lead to Incidents

Some of the most common incidents that can occur because of bald tires can include the following:

• Loss of traction or hydroplaning: tires that cannot grip wet pavement can lead to the vehicle sliding uncontrollably or hydroplaning. When this happens, drivers lose steering ability, causing sudden lane departure or collisions with other vehicles.

• Increased braking distance: bald tires increase the braking distance required to come to a safe stop. This can lead to rear-end crashes and other crashes from not being able to come to a stop in time.

These incidents are likely to happen during wet road conditions or rainstorms, on highways traveling at high speeds, or while braking suddenly to avoid any obstacles.

Some of the Injuries Possible

The incidents listed above could lead to extensive injuries, which could include some of the following:

• Traumatic brain injuries

• Concussions and other head injuries

• Neck injuries and back injuries

• Spinal cord injuries

• Broken bones and dislocations

• Shoulder injuries, hip injuries, pelvic injuries, and knee injuries

• Nerve injuries, ligament injuries, etc.

• Lacerations

• Scrapes and bruises

• And more

Car accident injuries can result in temporary or permanent disability. These incidents could also lead to fatal injuries.

No matter the specific injuries that you or a member of your family suffered in a car accident caused by bald tires on a rental car, it is important that you seek legal help as soon as possible.

Rental Companies have a Duty of Care to their Customers

Rental car companies operate large fleets of vehicles. They are required to inspect and maintain each and every vehicle to ensure that the vehicles are safe to be on the road. This includes checking tire condition, tread depth, etc. When rental car companies fail to replace worn tires, they are breaching their duty of care. When a rental car knew or should have known about unsafe tires in their rental vehicles but failed to act, then they can be found negligent.

Who Is Liable for these Incidents?

In general, the rental car company will be the liable party. As mentioned above, these companies owe their customers a duty of care. They must ensure that their vehicles are completely safe. When they fail to identify and address any issues, including issues with the tires, then they can directly contribute to any incidents that occur. If the rental car company outsources vehicle maintenance, then the third-party service company that failed to identify and address worn tires, then liability may be shared.

If liability for these incidents can be proved, then victims and their families could have the right to file injury claims. They could also be entitled to receive compensation.

Examples of the Compensation Available for Recovery

Some of the different categories of compensation available for recovery could include the following:

• Medical expenses

• Lost wages

• Pain and suffering

• Property damage

• Punitive damages

• Funeral and burial costs

• Loss of consortium

• Legal expenses

Here at our law firm, our rental car accident lawyers are more than ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to recover the maximum payout available. Whether our rental car bald tire accident lawyers have to negotiate a settlement or take your claim to trial to reach a fair verdict, you can be certain that our team will do everything possible to secure the best claim outcome possible.

For more information about the possible value of your claim and the compensation that you could recover, contact our team as soon as possible.