Car Fires

Arizona Personal Injury Lawyers for Car Fires

There have been many famous cases of design flaws that leave cars susceptible to fires, such as the Ford Pinto and the Ford Crown Victoria. In all of these cases, the manufacturers put design and cost ahead of safety and placed the gas tank in a dangerous position that increased its chances of exploding in a crash. If you believe you may have been the victim of a car fire caused by a design flaw, Solomon and Relihan, Phoenix injury attorneys with 30 years of experience helping accident victims in Maricopa County and throughout Arizona, can help you.

Car Fires Caused by Design Flaws

Design flaws that cause burns and other injuries are not always immediately identifiable. That is why Solomon and Relihan begins every case with a thorough investigation of the facts and law involved to determine all possible causes of your injuries.

Sidesaddle Gas Tanks

A common design flaw is the sidesaddle gas tank on pickup trucks. If the gas tank is mounted outside of the truck’s frame, it is unprotected and can explode if the truck is hit from the side.

Rear-Mounted Gas Tanks

Rear-mounted gas tanks located between the rear axle and the bumper, like the one on the Ford Pinto, leave cars at greater risk for explosion in a rear-end collision. With only a bumper to protect it, a rear-mounted gas tank can easily be ignited by sparks from a collision.

Even if a vehicle does not have a sidesaddle or rear-mounted gas tank, in the event of a collision, design flaws and equipment defects can lead to fuel-fed fires. In a fuel-fed fire, the design flaw or equipment defect allows gasoline to escape the gas tank and feed any fires that may have resulted from the collision. These fires can grow very large and be extremely dangerous.

Fuel Line Problems

Fuel lines may be manufactured with inadequate materials, which can easily break and cause fuel leaks. In addition, fuel lines may not have safety valves that are designed to cut off the fuel flow in the result of an accident. Either of these problems can cause gas to feed a fire after an accident and lead to much more serious injuries or death.

Fuel Pump Problems

Electric fuel pumps should shut off in the case of a collision. If a fuel pump does not shut off, it will continue to pump gasoline through the fuel system and feed any fires that may have resulted from the accident. It is critical that all fuel pumps have a mechanism for shutting off fuel in the event of an accident and that the mechanism works properly.

Contact Solomon & Relihan, Arizona Auto Accident Attorneys

If you think that a design flaw may have caused or contributed to injuries in your car accident, it is best to talk with an attorney. For a free initial consultation with a lawyer about your car accident, contact our Phoenix law firm by e-mail or by telephone. For your convenience, home and hospital visits are available upon request.