Further investigation sparked by a Tire Retread Information Bureau (TRIB) letter has determined that a re-grooved tire, not a retread, contributed to a dump truck crash that killed three people earlier this month in Florida.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officials originally blamed the accident on a retreaded truck tire in an article that appeared in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times.
"Retreaded tires are safely used on all types of trucks, including dump trucks, and have a safety record that will stand up to new tires any day," TRIB Managing Director Harvey Brodsky wrote in a letter to the newspaper.
The FHP has since reported that the dump truck tire that blew out had been re-grooved; it also had been mounted on the front axle of the vehicle.
In addition, the treads on the truck's other tires had been worn down to their cords, according to the Times.
