Tour Bus Owner/Operators & Bridgestone Compensate Hudspeth County Crash Victims
"I have been prosecuting serious injury and wrongful death cases against trucking companies, auto makers and tire manufacturers for more than 30 years. Our firm maintains this blog to share information and insight on transportation safety issues that continue to arise on our nation's highways and roads."
The Ammons Law Firm successfully obtained compensation for victims of a tour bus crash. The bus was carrying a California-based rock band that was on a concert tour. As the bus traveled on a Texas highway, one of its tires catastrophically failed through tread separation and the bus left its lane of travel and entered the oncoming traffic lane, colliding head-on with a tractor-trailer.
The compensation wraps up a lawsuit filed by personal injury attorney Rob Ammons of The Ammons Law Firm on behalf of the survivors of the 64-year-old truck driver killed in the crash as well as a passenger, 32, in the tour bus who was seriously injured.
Ammons alleged that the tire designed and manufactured by Bridgestone contained a number of contaminants, including wood, aluminum and polyurethane, found after the crash to have been embedded in the tire's rubber. Ammons contended that their presence resulted from poor housekeeping and quality control at the plant where the tire was built and that the contaminants rendered the out-of-spec tire defective, dangerous and unfit to be in contact with the road. According to Ammons, it came to light during deposition testimony that Bridgestone plant management was not very knowledgeable about quality assurance issues and that it did not even understand that manufacturing defects in a tire could lead to tread separation failures.
While the tread separation failure of the defective Bridgestone tire was a precipitating factor, Ammons also alleged that negligence by the owner/operators of the tour bus was a cause of the crash. Ammons contended that the bus' tires were not properly inspected and maintained and that its driver was not adequately trained. According to the lawsuit, the driver was negligent by braking heavily in response to the tire disablement and took faulty evasive action, causing the bus to enter the oncoming traffic lane. Because the driver was in course and scope of his employment with the tour bus company at the time of the crash, that employer is vicariously liable for his negligence. Ammons notes that those investigating the crash for the Texas Department of Public Safety found no fault on the tractor-trailer driver's part.
The truck driver died at the scene of massive blunt force injuries. The wife, daughter and mother who are left behind have been enormously damaged by his death. In addition to the mental anguish and the loss of companionship and society that each of these women has endured and will continue to suffer in the future as a result of their loved one's death, the financial support of this generous family man has been lost. Based on his past earnings, he would have earned over $700,000 during the years projected to be remaining in his worklife.
The tour bus passenger suffered multiple injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, spinal fractures and sprains, and a broken ankle. Costs of past medical treatment for his injuries exceed $1 Million, and the deficits and impairments his injuries have caused are projected to require at least another $6 Million in necessary future care during his lifetime. His severe injuries have also resulted in a loss of earning capacity in the seven-figure range.
The Ammons Law Firm has a nationwide personal injury practice focusing on tire defects, truck accidents, bus accidents, rollovers, consumer protection and product liability, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, air bag defects and plant explosions. If you or a loved one were injured due to a serious bus accident, call us today for a free consultation at (281) 801-5617 or click here to send an email to one of our experienced, skilled personal injury attorneys via our "Contact Us" form.
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