A father and son filed a personal injury lawsuit after they claimed the tire tread on their rented Ford box van separated on an interstate road. The plaintiffs believe that the rental companies sanctioned and approved the use of retread tires on their rental trucks in an effort to be more profitable, according to the Southeast Texas Record.
David and Brandon Smith filed a $75,000 personal injury lawsuit against Avis Budget Group Inc., PV Holding Corp. and Budget Car Rental LLC in the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas.
The damages are sought for damages for physical pain, mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity after the separated tread caused the van to lose control and strike several trees, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs argue the defendants failed to advise that a recapped tire had been placed on the Budget truck, failed to pay necessary funds to put on new tires, and made a conscious decision to expose customers to the “unreasonable and unnecessary risk” of a detread by placing a recapped tire on the subject box truck.
The complaint argues that the defendants should have known that the use of retread tries is discouraged because of a "known propensity to suffer catastrophic detreads."
