Philadelphia County Jury Awards $11.7M in Tire Defect Negligence

A woman and her daughter were injured when a truck tire tread failed, causing the vehicle they were passengers in to swerve and overturn. The woman suffered the amputation of her arm, and the daughter lost her leg. The tire had been retreaded by a tire company. Lawsuits were filed against the truck owner and tire companies.

Case Information Updated: October 2025

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Catastrophic Injury

Other Accident

Product Liability

Case Outcome

Outcome: Settlement
Amount: $11,700,000
County: Philadelphia County, PA
Resolved: 2018

Injury & Accident Details

Injury Type: Catastrophic Injury
Accident Type: Other
Case Type: Product Liability, Defective Product

Settlement Context

This settlement of $11,700,000 is near the median of $1,000,000 for catastrophic injury cases resolved by settlement. The typical range is $52,460 to $15,025,000, based on 8 cases in our database.

Case Overview

On July 31, 2015, a vehicle carrying a woman and her daughter as passengers was traveling northbound on I-295 in West Deptford Township, New Jersey. Ahead of their vehicle, a cement truck owned by a concrete products company experienced a tire tread failure. The tread became a roadway hazard, causing the plaintiffs' vehicle to swerve, strike a guardrail, and overturn. The injured woman suffered an arm amputation, and her daughter suffered a leg amputation. The tire had been retreaded by tire service companies.

The injured woman and her daughter, along with other passengers from their vehicle, filed a lawsuit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The complaint alleged negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress against the concrete products company, the tire manufacturer, and the tire retreaders, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The defendants denied negligence.

Prior to and during a nine-week trial, several confidential settlements were reached. Following an appellate decision in the plaintiffs' favor, the tire manufacturer and one tire retreader settled for confidential sums. Another tire retreader settled on the third day of trial. The concrete products company settled with the minor child plaintiff and a third passenger during the trial, but did not settle with the injured woman.

At trial, the injured woman argued that the concrete products company was negligent in its pre-trip inspection, failing to detect a large bolt in the tire. She also contended the company was negligent for not contacting emergency services, despite the tire tread remaining on the roadway for almost 30 minutes and causing multiple crashes. The concrete products company argued that the driver of the plaintiffs' vehicle was negligent in reacting to the roadway hazard. After three days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the injured woman, awarding her $10.6 million in compensatory damages and an additional $1.1 million in delay damages.

Understanding This Case

This case was resolved through a settlement, avoiding the uncertainty and expense of a trial. Settlements typically resolve faster and provide guaranteed compensation.
This case was resolved in Philadelphia County, Texas. Local jury tendencies, judge assignments, and regional economic conditions all influence case outcomes in this jurisdiction.
Resolved in 2018, this case reflects the legal and economic conditions of that period, including medical costs, insurance practices, and jury award trends at the time.

Verdictly^TM Score

/100

Reasonably Fair

This outcome is within expected ranges

This score is calculated by analyzing injury type, accident details, geographic location, temporal trends, and comparing against 2,000+ similar cases in our database.

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Motor Vehicle Negligence

On May 26, 2004, a plaintiff was a passenger in an automobile that was rear-ended near the intersection of Bedford Avenue and De Kalb Avenue in Brooklyn. The plaintiff's vehicle was preparing to make a U-turn when the collision occurred. The plaintiff subsequently filed a lawsuit, alleging the driver of the striking vehicle was negligent and the vehicle owner was vicariously liable. The defendants conceded liability, and the case proceeded to trial solely on the issue of damages. The plaintiff claimed to have sustained a herniated disc at C5-6, seeking medical treatment 21 days after the incident. Treatment included chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and hot and cold packs over several months. The plaintiff reported missing two days of work and alleged permanent neck pain, decreased range of motion, and episodes of immobility, asserting an inability to engage in activities such as dancing, playing basketball, or wearing high heels. A family medicine physician testified on the plaintiff's behalf. The defendants argued that any injuries sustained by the plaintiff resolved within 90 days of the accident, with the decreased range of motion improving within three months. A radiologist testified for the defense, stating that the plaintiff's MRIs were normal and indicated no injury. Prior to the verdict, the parties agreed to cap any damages award at $25,000, which represented the policy limits. The plaintiff had also settled a claim with the driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger for $3,500. Following the trial, a jury awarded the plaintiff $30,000, including $10,000 for past pain and suffering and $20,000 for future pain and suffering. The final recovery was then reduced to the agreed-upon $25,000 cap.

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