Pribanic & Pribanic Files Wrongful Death Suit Over Goodyear Tire Blowout

[vc_row fullwidth="false" attached="false" padding="0" visibility=""][vc_column border_color="" visibility="" width="1/1"][vc_column_text responsive_align="center"]Anyone who’s ever experienced a tire blowout knows: It’s a frightening experience. Whether it was caused by inclement weather, wear-and-tear or a defective product, tire blowouts can also lead to serious personal injury or death. The Charcalla family of Erie knows the devastation that stems from a tire blow out because of a defective product all too well. Gary Charcalla, 49, who worked at Erie General Electric, was driving his family home from a vacation in Virginia in July of 2011. He was behind the wheel of a recreational vehicle and hauling a trailer when the left front tire exploded, causing a horrific crash that killed him. Mr. Charcalla’s wife, Brenda, was pinned in the wreckage, suffering burns to her arms and face as the couple’s boys watched on. While the boys were not physically injured in the crash, their emotional injuries were severe. The personal injury lawyers at Pribanic & Pribanic are now helping the Charcalla family with a legal action against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Pribanic & Pribanic filed a federal lawsuit against the tire manufacturer in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleging that a defective product – the tires on the recreation vehicle - caused the accident that killed Mr. Charcalla and seriously injured his wife of 22 years. Charcalla v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. is one of dozens across the country that allege that a defect in a particular tire the company manufactured caused accidents after the rubber tread peeled away. While the crash involving the Charcalla family happened in 2011, Goodyear Tire was in the news just this summer regarding defective tires and the company’s handling of the matter. A federal appeals court last month upheld a 2012 order that imposed $2.7 million in sanctions against Goodyear Tire, as well as a pair of its lawyers. Additionally, the federal appeals court upheld non-monetary sanctions against Good Year. The sanctions stem from a lawsuit brought against the tire maker from an Arizona couple who alleged a tire defect caused a crash. According to court documents in that case, the company “failed to search for, and/or withheld the relevant and responsive testing documents” for the tire in question. And while the couple ended up settling with Goodyear Tire out of court in 2010, it was later discovered that the tire company “had withheld evidence it was required to produce during discovery,” according to court documents. According to media reports, the non-monetary sanctions imposed require Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. to disclose this information on the company’s deceit in all future lawsuits related to that particular tire. The personal injury lawyers at Pribanic & Pribanic have demanded a jury trial in the case against Goodyear to prove that its defective product caused Mr. Charcalla’s untimely death, as well as the injuries – both physical and emotional – of the rest of his family. If you were seriously injured, or someone you know and love suffered a serious personal injury or died in a vehicle crash you believe was caused by a defective tire or defective product, call the Pittsburgh personal injury attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic today to schedule a free initial consultation at 412-672-5444 or toll free at (412) 672-5444.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]