WILSON & HAJEK | Personal Injury Lawyers in Charlottesville, Louisa County, Fluvanna County, car accident, Albemarle County,

OLD TIRES CAN BE DANGEROUS

Written by our personal injury lawyers in Charlottesville

In recent articles, there has been a lot of discussion about the dangers of the old tires. In Virginia, the law requires an annual inspection of your car. This inspection looks at tire tread wear. But, it does not include a determination of how old your car’s tires are. Further, no localities, such as Charlottesville, Louisa County, Fluvanna County, or Albemarle County, require any further inspection.

According to our personal injury lawyers in Charlottesville, this inspection does not mean your tires are safe. Over time, tires can degrade and can become dangerous. What is the appropriate time to replace tires? The Volkswagen manual recommends that tires be replaced after six years, regardless of tread wear. The warning provided in the manual states that old tires can fail in use causing loss of vehicle control and personal injury.

Most U.S. tire manufacturers do not give any warning on this danger. So how do you know if your tires are more than six years old? You can look at the last four numbers of the 12 digit DOT serial number located on the inside of the tire. Unfortunately, if the tires are already on your car, you have to crawl under the car to find the number. The first two numbers of the four digit code referred to the week of manufacture. The last two numbers are the year of manufacture. For instance, 2009 means that the tire was made in the 20th week of 2009.

However, if there is only a three digit code, that means your tire was made before the year 2000. If you are concerned about how old your tires might be, you should check this four digit code. Old tires can fail without warning and the results can be a serious car accident. If you have concerns about your tires’ age, a quick inspection of the DOT serial number could put your mind to rest.

Contact the experienced personal injury lawyers at the law firm of Wilson & Hajek.

Personal injury lawyers in Charlottesville serving Louisa County, Fluvanna County, Albemarle County, and all of central Virginia.

SOLID LEGAL EXPERIENCE

Francis Hajek’s legal experience in the field of personal injury covers all injuries including the most serious: death, loss of limb, quadriplegia; to minor injuries such as sprains,
His success rate is high. The verdicts are substantial.

These cases have taken place in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Ohio and Washington, D.C. (Cases are in state and federal courts.) Notably, Francis Hajek, along with co-counsel, obtained a record-setting $46 million jury verdict for an injured client. The verdict was for $46 million, but that amount rose to $60 million with interest. The defendant agreed to a confidential settlement and abandoned its appeal.

This case reflects the dedication of Francis Hajek to his client, who suffered a permanent traumatic brain injury along with many other physical injuries after a train derailed and crashed into his workplace. The trial in Prince William County was over 3 weeks long. At Wilson & Hajek, every client is treated with the same dedication and personal service as we help you get justice. Experience counts and Francis Hajek has over 30 years of legal experience. Explore our website and learn how we can help you.

OLD TIRES CAN BE DANGEROUS

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