That tire hates that car!

I hope everyone was okay, that looked brutal.

If nothing else the car did manage to stay in it's lane unlike the truck

I hope everyone escaped without long term injuries.

I wonder how liability works in a case like this.

Possible scenarios:
1. Freak accident, no one is liable.
2. Truck owner is liable, but only because they modified their car from manufacturer spec?
3. Truck manufacturer is liable, faulty construction?
4. State or federal government is liable because of something in the road that make the truck's tire fall off.
5. After market kit provider or after market kit installer is liable because their modification lead to the failure that caused the tire to come off.

I wonder how it all worked out.

Logically no matter what it should be truck owner. He/she is responsible first and foremost because proper maintenance is the owner’s responsibility and your wheel coming off is proof of improper maintenance.

If they could prove a shop mounted the wheel wrong….forgot lug nuts, used broken studs, put the nuts on finger tight…they could likely sue, but proving that would be impossible without close up video at the shop of the faulty parts/installation.

#3 is possible, but only after proof of a known design flaw that makes the wheel come off is established. Good luck. This is what Tesla is up against with their self driving software, but only after multiple deaths and many crashes.

Most aftermarket parts have limited liability clauses limiting their liability to replacement of the defective part, not even labor. I know my lift kits had multiple warnings and liability releases in the instructions/warranties. Not total immunity if they intentionally sell dangerously defective parts, but definitely a difficult thing to prove.

I’m not a lawyer, but I have them in the immediate family (grandpa), so I have a little bit of an idea how this usually works in court.

Not an expert, but it could be a domino effect of a loose screw scenario, causing all the screws to be snapped off. Here in Toronto (Canada), we've seen significance increases of fatal accidents of these type because of (mostly truck's) poor maintenance causing wheels flying off & killed people. It's the driver's (or trucking companies') fault. The interviewed Police usually warn viewers that because we here often need (and should!) change between summer/winter tires, we need to make sure the tires are balanced and the screws are properly tightened. The garages usually wash their hands off from accident liabilities and insurance companies rarely go after the garages as well.

I hope I die in my sleep. Not screaming and crying like everyone else in my car.

Everyone scream now: "For the Family!"