A horrific and most tragic accident that occurred in January, 2016 claimed the life of a respected senior citizen and former CEO of a construction firm. The victim who was driving on Highway 400 near King City, Ontario, was killed when the wheel of a fully-loaded truck became detached and flew through his car’s windscreen. Such freak accidents have been on the rise since 2010 and last year saw a spike in them with nearly 130 such accidents causing grievous injuries to innocent victims. Contact a personal injury lawyer without delay if you have been injured/a dear one has been killed  by a flying or detached truck wheel to file a claim of wrongful death.

Accidents are caused by someone’s fault or negligence and the injured are entitled to seek compensation from those responsible. The Highway 400 accident led to a concerted effort on the part of the provincial government to conduct thorough safety checks on trucks, especially the proper installation and maintenance of wheels.

Causes of Detached Wheels in Trucks 

We share our highways with giant 18-wheelers, trucks, trailers, pick-up trucks etc. traveling with loads often at high speeds. When a wheel becomes detached from one of these, the resulting accident can be catastrophic. Sometimes a flying bolt or nut can crash into the windshield of a passing vehicle and cause a devastating accident because of the speed at which the loose part is traveling. Survivors may be severely and permanently disabled. In general, such accidents are the direct result of poor maintenance and negligence of safety norms and procedures.

Wheels usually get detached due to:

• Loosening or breaking of studs/bolts
• Insufficient or over tightening
• Faulty or defective parts
• Use of incorrect or badly fitting fastenings
• Poor maintenance
• Failure to use the proper specialized fittings to cut costs
• Lack of regular inspection

As shown, these are simple and routine checks that would hardly take a few minutes each day to ensure that the tires and wheels are in good condition and properly fastened. Our disability claims lawyers can ensure that those responsible are identified and held liable.

Who is Responsible? 

Such accidents can be extremely challenging for investigators, since there are multiple parties involved. Unraveling the chain of liability can be difficult even for experienced personal injury attorneys. However, law firms like ours have the resources to conduct independent investigations into the circumstances of the mishap and fix the liability correctly.

In general one or more of these persons can be held liable:

• The owner of the truck or vehicle
• The maintenance company (if it was being maintained by a contractor)
• The manufacturer of the defective bolt, nut etc which came loose
• The truck or vehicle manufacturer

How We Can Assist

Our injury lawyers provide an initial, genuine evaluation of your case. Based on this, you can take your claim forward with our assistance. Since our personal injury law firm handles such cases exclusively, they can help you deal with insurance companies and the at-fault parties while keeping your interests and rights paramount.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333 or Text a Personal Injury ‎Lawyer 24/7 and get instant help. (416 931 5015)