Luke Maddox · Rob Ammons
Record-Setting $8.4 Million Tire Defect Verdict in Ultra-Conservative Venue
March 11, 2025 5:30 PM||
Record-Setting $8.4 Million Tire Defect Verdict in Ultra-Conservative
The case involved a fatal crash caused by the failure of a Hankook truck tire mounted on the right front steer axle of a 1992 Kenworth T600 straight truck. The driver, 26-year-old Preston Glass, had been married for only 2 months at the time of his death and had no children. Less than two months before the failure, Lone Star Tire had performed a patch-only repair near the tire’s shoulder. The case marked a significant milestone as one of the first to address Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Section 82.008 defense following the Texas Supreme Court’s June 2024 decision in Am. Honda Motor Co., Inc. v. Milburn.
The case dealt with the following issues:
- The tire was a relatively low-volume product with no prior claims history, making it difficult to establish a pattern of defects.
- Manufacturing occurred at Hankook’s Daejeon, Korea plant, creating investigation and evidence-gathering challenges.
- The defense attempted to distribute blame across multiple parties:
- Lone Star Tire for the repair
- The deceased driver, Preston Glass
- Wales Crane and Rigging (employer) for poor tire maintenance
- The case required addressing complex legal precedent on Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Section 82.008, which provides manufacturers a defense if they can show compliance with mandatory federal safety standards.
- The plaintiffs needed to prove either that the federal agency’s decision-making process was flawed or that later developments proved the safety standard inadequate.
- The deceased’s limited dependents (newly married, no children) potentially impacted damages calculations.
- The conservative venue presented additional challenges for securing a substantial verdict.
- The technical nature of the tire defect (adhesion failure over time due to oxidation as a result of a thin inner liner) required a clear explanation to the jury.
Despite these challenges, the jury found unanimously for the plaintiffs on all counts, including manufacturing defect, design defect, and inadequacy of FMVSS 119 to protect the public, resulting in a record-setting verdict of $8,400,000.
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