Dennis Garton, the Undersheriff of Tehama County, California, suffered severe injuries in an off-duty motorcycle accident in Nevada during a cross-country ride on his Honda Goldwing. According to a news report in the Corning Observer, the valve stem on the rear tire of Garton’s motorcycle was cut off resulting in a rapid loss of air. That reportedly caused Garton’s motorcycle to go into a wobble before he was forced to lay it down on the pavement.
Garton suffered severe injuries following the motorcycle accident including a concussion, fractured vertebrae in his back and neck, a broken foot, broken hand, fractured ribs and road rash. He is expected to recover, thankfully..
There have been no known recalls on Honda Goldwing tires or valve stems that I am aware of or could find in a cursor search, but there have been comments and reports of tire problems on Web sites for motorcycle enthusiasts. One motorcycle enthusiast website talks about a situation that seems identical to what happened to Garton. A consumer says that his friend’s mother-in-law died after the Goldwing that she was a passenger on suffered a tire valve stem failure, causing an immediate flat. The Goldwing reportedly had a right-angled valve stem.
Another site lists a complaint from a consumer in Mason, Illinois, that the tires on his 2003 Honda Goldwing were rough and vibrated when turning the motorcycle. The consumer also complained that in time tires may experience tread separation. The consumer added that when he contacted the dealer and manufacturer about the problem, they said there was nothing they could do about the tires.
Garton and anyone who has had a similar experience of tire valve stem failure resulting in a serious accident and resulting injuries should consider retaining the services of an experienced product defect attorney, especially one that has a reputation with vehicle manufacturers and their attorneys. A skilled vehicle defect attorney, who will look into whether this motorcycle accident was caused because of a defective component or negligent product design. If the design or the product itself is found to be defective, then Garton and people similar situated may be entitled to compensation from the Honda and the tire manufacturer.
Remember, in any product defect case, the defective product must be kept in an unaltered state. The unrepaired product is critical evidence to any product defect claim.
If you have been injured in a similar Honda Goldwing motorcycle accident I’d like to hear about it..