According to Illinois State Police, a blown tire may have been the reason
that a Megabus vehicle drove off Interstate 55 and into a median before
colliding head-on into a concrete overpass pillar. One passenger, 25-year-old
University of Missouri student Aditi Avhad, was killed in the double-decker
bus crash. At least 38 people were taken to hospitals for treatment of
their injuries–that’s about half of the bus passengers.
Megabus has said that not only was the bus just checked, but that these
maintenance evaluations are conducted about once every 10 days. However,
a police spokesperson said triple digit weather or the speed that the
bus was moving at when it hit the pillar could have still caused the blowout.
Tire Blowouts
A tire blowout usually involves a tire bursting along with it losing air
pressure quickly. While some blowouts are a result of faulty maintenance
or extremely hot weather, some tires end up blowing out because of defects
in design or ones that occur during their manufacturing.
There is tread separation, which can be linked back to errors in the tire
manufacturing process. Should the tire rubber and the metal belt material
fail to bond, the tire’s treads may be prone to separating. Contaminated
tire materials can also impede the tread bonding process. Grease, rust,
oxidation, sawdust, and foreign objects such as candy wrappers can end
up accidentally in the tire mix if quality control during the manufacturing
process is poor. Improperly sized parts and dated bonding materials can
also create tire flaws, as can skim stock that is deficient and insufficient
nylon overlays. Inadequate final inspections of tires before they are
sent out can cause workers to overlook or disregard any product deficiencies.
Other causes of tire blowouts include old, worn tires, underinflated tires,
and tires that are the wrong size for a vehicle.
Unfortunately, tire blowouts can lead to devastating consequences. The
driver is no longer able to safely control or navigate the vehicle when
a tire has blown out, increasing the risk of a deadly rollover, car crash,
single-auto collision, or some other type of accident from happening.
At The Gilbert Law Group®, our tire defect lawyers represent victims and
their families throughout the US. We are recognized nationally for our
experience and successes in the area of auto products liability when it
comes to recovering losses for our clients. We even have an in-house engineering
team on staff helping us with our cases.
Illinois Megabus crash: Bus made in 2011, inspected days ago, The Christian
Science Monitor/AP, August 3, 2012
State police: Blown tire likely caused Megabus crash, Chicago Sun-Times,
August 3, 2012
