Several recent accidents involving tire blowouts on passenger buses have prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to take a closer look at the potential cause of these incidents. Passengers on these buses were seriously injured and there were numerous fatalities.
Preliminary investigations of these accidents found potential safety concerns related to double-deck buses that may overload tires outside the suggested weight limit. Under specific circumstances buses utilizing the double-deck design may be susceptible to exceeding the tire weight limit when loaded with passengers and luggage at full capacity. A tire on a bus loaded beyond its weight rating, operated at highway speeds for a significant period of time, is more likely to overheat and fail, potentially placing the safety of passengers and other motorists at risk.
These risks can be avoided by properly loading passengers and cargo, and increasing pressure in tires on the rear wheels. Improper loading of passengers and cargo, and overloading tires are negligent, and passengers injured in these accidents should contact our law firm here to file a lawsuit against the bus company.
In response to these accidents and the investigation findings, FMCSA released a Motorcoach Safety Advisory Bulletin to raise awareness of this issue of overloading tires within the bus industry and urge companies to take action to prevent potential safety risks.
You Can Sue the Company if a Tire Failure Causes Injury and Wrongful Death
Bus passengers have a legal right to expect that their bus will be safe and well-maintained, and bus companies whose negligence causes personal injury and wrongful death should be held accountable. Our mission is to prevent crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses by making wrongdoers pay for their reckless disregard for the safety of others.
The Motorcoach Safety Advisory Bulletin states that safe bus operators should have policies and procedures in place to monitor the loading of their vehicles, and take appropriate action (such as reducing passenger/cargo loads, distributing passengers throughout the bus, or increasing tire pressure) to ensure that they remain within the allowable tire weight rating and state vehicle weight limits. FMCSA is working with state officials to increase enforcement of these important safety provisions of federal and state laws.
Eric Hageman is a lead attorney for our bus accident cases. He represents bus passengers and their families throughout the United States in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. To contact Eric or another bus tire blowout lawyer at our law firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our free consultation form here. We are not paid unless you win. For more information, please see Bus Accident Attorneys.
