Show, don’t tell. Catastrophic injury litigation can be an immensely complicated and technical challenge for jurors to comprehend. Our trial team has the technical expertise and expert resources to compile evidence and package it in a way that creates a visceral experience for jurors. Whether it’s Hollywood-quality video animations, illustrations or recreations, our demonstrative shows rather than tells jurors what happens when a defective tire tread separates and causes a blowout, a distracted truck driver causes a wreck, or a dangerously designed or manufactured product results in injuries.

Demonstrative Evidence

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  Mercury Mountaineer Tire Testing
  

  Demonstrative evidence showing three different camera angles of a 2001 Mercury Moutaineer performing a controlled maneuver with a defective tire.

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  Nylon Safety Belt
  

  Side-by-side demonstrative evidence used to explain to jurors the differences between a cap ply tire with a nylon safety belt compared to a traditional steel-belted tire.

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  Nylon Safety Strips
  

  Demonstrative evidence illustration used to explain to jurors the components of a tire designed with nylon safety strips in addition to steel belts.

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  Ford Explorer Crash Testing
  

  Short video documenting an SUV on a test track flipping and rolling, then crashing into a guard rail.

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  Tire Demo with Nylon Over Wrap
  

  A video animation used as demonstrative evidence to illustrate for jurors the components of a tire, including belts, liners and tread base. This animation demonstrates how two belt liners rubbing together can create friction that leads to tire failure.

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  Tread Separation Test
  

  Video created by Carr Engineering Inc. to document a tread separation test with a Ford Explorer. Test shows that even an expert driver with knowledge that a tread separation event is imminent still cannot maintain control of the vehicle.

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  Replacing Tires Guidelines
  

  Corporate tire industry video explains safety and performance issues when only two tires are replaced on a vehicle, and how vehicle handling is affected by placement of tires.

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  Modern Tire Diagram
  

  This demonstrative evidence image shows a cross section of a modern tire with liners, belts, nylon overlay and undertread.

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  Tire Demo with Belt Wedge
  

  This demonstrative evidence video animation is used to show jurors the components of a tire and illustrates how tires without “belt wedges” can generate dangerous friction between the steel belts.

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  Michelin Tire Recommendations
  

  Corporate tire industry video documents safety concerns when two new tires are mounted on back of vehicle.

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  Tire Demo without Nylon Wedge
  

  This video animation demonstrates how steel belts inside a tire without a nylon wedge can generate dangerous amounts of friction.

Technical Articles and Reference Material

•   Tread Separation & Stability Presentation
  

  Multimedia presentation by Kyle Farrar and Wes Ball explaining how tire tread separation affects vehicle stability. This presentation includes embedded video of test drives performed in a 2001 Mercury Mountaineer with a defective tire.

•   Tire Article
  

  Article by Farrar & Ball’s Wes Ball and Kyle Farrar and Cliff Walston focuses on contentious discovery issues in the $32.8 million Toe v Cooper Tire trial verdict, including the importance of obtaining data from “substantially similar” tire products.

•   SAE International Technical Article
  

  This SAE International technical article describes a series of front-impact tests on tires to identify tire failure issues. Article includes a history of tire impact testing.

•   Firestone Tread Separation Analysis
  

  A previously confidential analysis by a Firestone expert regarding tread separation problems with Firestone tires.

•   How a Tire Is Made
  

  A broad overview of techniques and processes in making a tire.

•   How to Read Tire Sidewall
  

  This diagram explains how to decipher the numbers and letters on the sidewalls of tires.

•   Cap Ply Tire Recommendation
  

  This 2003 study by David Osborne provides an overview of tread separation issues with tires and recommends increased use of cap ply tires to make tires safer and more durable.

•   History of Tire Manufacturing
  

  2006 article in RubberNews.com describes the history of tire manufacturing, including the evolution of the design and use of cap plies.

•   SAE Seat Design Article
  

  Academic article on seat design and collision performance, including government regulations to improve safety.

•   Uniroyal Tire Patent
  

  This image shows a 1973 Uniroyal patent office illustration of a steel belted tire with nylon safety belt.

•   Ownership in Tire Community
  

  This infographic details the complicated shared ownership interests between tire companies.

•   Engineering Analysis of Wilderness AT Tires
  

  A 2001 U.S. Department of Transportation engineering analysis of Firestone Wilderness AT tires. This comprehensive report details problems with Firestone tread defects and raises questions about whether these problems extend beyond recalled products. Contains numerous color illustrations and graphics.

•   Deposition Excerpt from Bridgestone Firestone
  

  2002 Wm C Ford depo excerpt of Bridgestone Firestone executive William Clay Ford Jr. in which he states that rollover injuries caused by tread separation were not the fault of the drivers.