Accidents Due to Defective Automobiles

When you buy or drive a vehicle, you trust that its safety systems—airbags, brakes, seatbelts, and tire treads—will perform as designed to protect you and your family. But what happens when the very machine meant to keep you safe fails, transforming a manageable commute or a minor fender benders into a catastrophic crash?

Vehicle liability and product liability claims are among the most complex personal injury cases in the legal world. When an accident is caused or worsened by a defective auto part or a poorly maintained commercial vehicle, you aren’t just fighting an individual driver’s insurance policy—you are going up against massive automakers, global parts manufacturers, or corporate trucking fleets with teams of lawyers hired to deny your claim.

At Brylak Law, lead attorney Wallace “Wally” Brylak Jr. and his legal team bring over three decades of personal injury experience to even the playing field. Serving clients across Texas and Colorado, Brylak Law knows how to uncover hidden vehicle defects, hold negligent manufacturers accountable, and secure the full compensation you need to rebuild your life.

Understanding Product Liability vs. Vehicle Liability

When a vehicle-related crash occurs, liability isn’t always limited to driver error (like speeding or distracted driving). Often, the vehicle itself—or the entity responsible for maintaining it—is to blame.

1. Automotive Product Liability

Automotive product liability refers to lawsuits against auto manufacturers, parts suppliers, or dealerships when a defect in a vehicle’s design, manufacturing, or warnings causes a crash or exacerbates injuries. Common automotive product defects include:

  • Airbag Failures: Airbags failing to deploy during an impact, deploying late, or exploding violently with metal shrapnel.
  • Tire Tread Separation & Blowouts: Defectively manufactured tires that delaminate at high speeds, leading to sudden loss of control or severe rollover accidents.
  • Brake System Failures: Faulty master cylinders, line leaks, or software glitches in automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that prevent stopping.
  • Seatbelt & Latch Deficiencies: Seatbelts that unlatch upon impact or fail to lock, leading to severe occupant ejection or striking the vehicle interior.
  • Roof Crush & Rollover Hazards: Vehicles with weak roof pillars that collapse into the passenger cabin during a rollover, causing severe head or spinal trauma.
  • EV & Fuel System Fires: Defective battery management systems or poorly placed fuel lines that ignite thermal runaway fires following an impact.

2. Commercial & Fleet Vehicle Liability

Vehicle liability also encompasses accidents caused by negligent corporate vehicle maintenance, negligent hiring, or commercial fleet oversights. This includes crashes involving commercial delivery vans, 18-wheelers, and rideshare vehicles where corporate owners skimp on mandatory safety inspections, run worn-out tires, or ignore faulty brake warnings to keep vehicles on the road.

How Brylak Law Investigates and Wins Vehicle Defect Cases

Winning a product liability case against an auto giant or corporate fleet requires specialized legal resources, swift action, and high-level technical expertise. Here is how the legal team at Brylak Law builds a winning case:

1. Securing and Preserving the Vehicle (Spoliation Prevention)

The most critical piece of evidence in a product liability case is the vehicle itself. If a vehicle is towed to a salvage yard, sold at auction, or crushed before an independent inspection can take place, vital evidence is destroyed forever. Brylak Law immediately sends emergency legal notices (spoliation letters) to insurance companies and tow yards to ensure the crash vehicle is preserved in its exact post-accident state.

2. Extracting Event Data Recorders (Black Box Analysis)

Modern cars and commercial trucks are essentially computers on wheels. Their Event Data Recorders (EDRs) capture critical telemetry in the seconds leading up to a crash—including speed, steering angle, braking pressure, seatbelt status, and whether safety systems attempted to deploy. Brylak Law deploys forensic engineers to download and analyze this data before it can be overwritten.

3. Collaborating with Automotive Experts and Crash Reconstructionists

Proving a vehicle defect requires proving that the defect was the direct cause of your crash or made your injuries significantly worse (known as “enhanced injury” or “crashworthiness” claims). Brylak Law collaborates with top mechanical engineers, automotive design experts, and accident reconstructionists to reconstruct the mechanics of the failure and present clear visual evidence to a jury.

4. Taking On Global Auto Manufacturers and Fleet Insurers

Automakers and corporate fleets do not settle product defect claims easily—doing so can trigger costly recalls or public relations fallout. Brylak Law prepares every product liability case for trial from day one, standing up to corporate legal teams and refusing to accept lowball settlement offers that fail to cover your long-term losses.

Essential Questions Answered: Product & Vehicle Liability Accidents

If you suspect a vehicle defect or fleet negligence played a role in your crash, you likely have many questions about what happens next. Here are straightforward answers to the most common questions:

Q: How do I know if a vehicle defect caused my crash or made my injuries worse?

It is rarely obvious at the scene of a crash whether a defect was involved. However, key indicators include:

  • Your airbags failed to deploy in a high-speed collision.
  • A seatbelt unlatched or allowed you/a passenger to hit the windshield.
  • Your vehicle unexpectedly rolled over in a low-speed maneuver.
  • You experienced sudden, uncontrollable acceleration or complete brake failure before the crash.
  • A tire blew out or shed its tread on a relatively new or well-maintained tire.
  • Your injuries seem drastically out of proportion to the speed and angle of the impact (e.g., roof collapse in a mild rollover).

During a free consultation, Brylak Law can review your crash report and arrange for a forensic vehicle inspection.

Q: What is a “crashworthiness” claim?

A crashworthiness claim assumes that a crash was going to happen (whether due to driver error, weather, or another car), but the vehicle’s internal safety structures failed to protect the occupants as designed. If a defective seatbelt, collapsing roof, or failing airbag caused a driver to suffer a paralyzing injury in a crash they should have walked away from, the vehicle manufacturer can be held liable for those enhanced injuries.

Q: Can I sue the car manufacturer if I was partially at fault for the crash?

Yes. Under comparative negligence laws in states like Texas and Colorado, driver error does not excuse an automaker from producing a dangerous vehicle. For instance, if you accidentally ran off the road at 40 mph, but a defective roof collapse crushed the passenger compartment, the manufacturer can still be held liable for the catastrophic injuries caused by their vehicle’s poor design.

Q: What if the vehicle component was subject to a recall after my accident?

Post-accident recalls or a history of similar safety investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can serve as powerful evidence in your claim. It proves that the manufacturer knew—or should have known—about the dangerous condition. Brylak Law investigates NHTSA databases, technical service bulletins (TSBs), and past class-action lawsuits to establish a pattern of corporate negligence.

Q: Who can be held liable in a commercial fleet or trucking liability case?

Unlike a standard car accident where only the driver is typically sued, a commercial vehicle liability case opens up multiple potential avenues for financial recovery:

  • The Commercial Fleet Owner: For failing to perform mandated vehicle inspections, ignoring brake/tire maintenance, or pushing drivers past federal safety hours.
  • Third-Party Maintenance Shops: For performing negligent repairs or installing faulty aftermarket parts.
  • Cargo Loaders: For improperly loading or overloading a trailer, leading to jackknife or rollover crashes.
  • Parts Manufacturers: If a defective component (like a trailer hitch or steering assembly) caused the fleet crash.

Q: How much does it cost to hire an attorney for a product liability lawsuit?

Product liability cases are notoriously expensive to litigate due to the cost of vehicle storage, forensic engineering, and expert witnesses. However, at Brylak Law, you face zero out-of-pocket financial risk:

  • No Upfront Fees: The firm advances all case costs and expert witness expenses.
  • No Fee Unless We Win: You only pay legal fees if Brylak Law successfully secures a settlement or jury award for you. If there is no recovery, you owe nothing.

Q: How long do I have to file a product liability lawsuit?

In both Texas and Colorado, the standard Statute of Limitations for personal injury and product liability claims is two years from the date of the accident. However, in product liability, there is also a “Statute of Repose,” which creates an absolute outer time limit based on when the vehicle was originally manufactured or sold (often 12 to 15 years). Because evidence deteriorates and vehicles can be scrapped quickly, it is vital to contact an attorney immediately after the accident.

Why Choose Brylak Law for Your Defective Vehicle or Fleet Claim?

Taking on an automotive manufacturer or a multi-million-dollar commercial fleet requires a law firm with deep resources, technical insight, and proven trial experience.

  • 30+ Years of Trial Experience: Led by Wallace Brylak Jr., who holds a Master’s in Healthcare Administration, Brylak Law possesses a unique understanding of both complex physical injuries and high-stakes legal battles.
  • Resources to Fight Auto Giants: Brylak Law invests the financial capital and expert network necessary to thoroughly inspect vehicles, retain industry experts, and match corporate defense teams step for step.
  • Tenacious Advocacy, Personal Service: While Brylak Law has the power to confront major corporations, clients receive dedicated personal care, regular case updates, and direct attorney communication throughout the legal process.
  • Multistate Coverage: Serving clients from primary offices in San Antonio, Laredo, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo, the firm handles complex catastrophic injury and liability cases across Texas and Colorado.

Protect Your Rights After a Vehicle Liability Accident

If a defective auto part or a negligent commercial vehicle caused you or a loved one to suffer severe injuries, do not let corporate insurance teams decide what your claim is worth.

Contact Brylak Law today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. Their experienced trial attorneys will inspect your vehicle, evaluate your options, and fight to hold every negligent party fully accountable.