LV family says defective tire caused Explorer to roll

Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 | 11:03 a.m.

A Las Vegas family sued Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., alleging they suffered severe injuries when an allegedly defective Firestone tire lost its tread and caused the family's 1996 Ford Explorer to roll over.

In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, Laura Williams and her two daughters, Jasmine and Alexcia, alleged they were travelling on I-40 near Seligman, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 1999, when the right rear tire on the Explorer lost its tread.

The suit said the car "entered into a clockwise skid, crossed both westbound traffic lanes and then rolled four to five times off the side of the interstate before it came to rest upside down in a drainage wash, located about 150 feet north of the interstate."

Williams said Alexcia was ejected from the car and later found unconscious in a nearby ravine, while Jasmine "sustained lacerations to multiple areas of her body."

Williams alleged the defendant failed to warn her about the condition of the right rear tire when she brought her car -- 24 days before the accident occurred -- to a Bridgestone/Firestone tire retailer for an inspection after a separate Firestone tire blew out.

Bridgestone/Firestone could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit.