A 1993 Chevrolet Blazer with all its occupants from Chowchilla, traveling on Road 16 near the Madera area, overturned and crashed when it blew a tire, according to an article in The Merced Sun-Star.

The Merced auto accident happened on May 18th and killed Martha Alicia Vazquez-Meza, 38, and an 11-year-old boy, while seriously injuring driver Javier L. Vasquez, 40, and another boy Javier M. Vasquez, 7. An earlier report said the tread of the left rear tire separated causing the Blazer to overturn. California Highway Patrol has ruled out alcohol as a factor in this SUV wreck.

Sadly this reminds me of another crash which occurred under very similar circumstances about a year ago on Route 152. That accident involved a Chevrolet Blazer as well, and it crashed when its right rear tire tread separated causing the driver to lose control.
Tire separation is a growing problem – and one that has devastating consequences in any auto accident, especially when you consider that safety experts now believe that even a six-year-old tire can fail this way.

My prayers are with the families of the crash victims. I have no doubt the tire failure in this instance contributed to the Blazer rollover. Being an auto accident attorney, I’m fully aware of the atrocious safety history of the Blazer SUV first hand from having dealt with this Chevrolet brand of truck in many defect cases. The Blazer is well known for its poor safety record. In addition, this particular truck has a recognized problem with structural failures in SUV rollover crashes and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has given the truck one of the worst ratings for rollover resistance.

The family of the injured party here should definitely consult with an expert in auto defect litigation. With a prompt and thorough examination of all the evidence and the documented data on the Blazer’s performance, I’m sure the cause or causes of this tragic incident will become clear.