GALVESTON - Irma Espinal and Nora Flores claim a defective tire caused them to get into a collision halfway between Houston and San Antonio, recent court documents say.
The women have filed suit against motorist Kevin Flores, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and Dindial Singh, doing business as R T Tire Service, on behalf of their two respective minor children over the alleged Oct. 9 rollover along Interstate 10 in Gonzales County.
The original complaint was filed Dec. 9 in Galveston County District Court.
Espinal and Flores explain that they, Marco Ponce Espinal and Mirna Castellanos were passengers in a Toyota pickup truck driven by defendant Flores when the vehicle's left rear tire suffered a tread separation, causing the Toyota to strike another vehicle and ultimately roll over.
"The design of the tire in question was defective and unreasonably dangerous as designed for the reasons that it lacks a proper wedge design and a zero degree nylon cap ply, and its tread separates unexpectedly during normal operation conditions," the suit says.
"There was also a manufacturing defect in the tire in question, namely inadequate skim stock resulting in incomplete adhesion of the tire's components at the time it left the possession of Cooper Tire that was a producing cause of the occurrence, the injuries and the damages."
R T Tire Service is accused of selling and installing the tire while Flores is blamed for negligently operating the vehicle.
The plaintiffs say that the incident left Marco Ponce Espinal in a paraplegic state.
They seek unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
The Ammons Law Firm LLP is representing the plaintiffs, and Galveston County 212th District Court Judge Susan Criss is presiding over the case.
Case No. 10-cv-4305