On November 27, 2010 two men were killed while they were attempting to change a tire on the side of the 605 freeway.  Pedro Pedrosa, 43, of Azusa, and Ricardo Beltran, 49, of West Covina, were killed in an auto accident that happened at approximately 10 a.m. southbound on the 605 freeway, just south of the Arrow Highway.  The two coworkers were trying to change a flat tire at the side of the freeway when the driver of a Ford Taurus lost control of his vehicle slammed into them.  The driver of the Taurus was exceeding the speed limit and claimed he lost control when another vehicle suddenly changed lanes. 

This appears to have been an avoidable accident that has unfortunately claimed the lives of two people.  The accident shows that changing a tire on the side of the freeway is often a dangerous and sometimes a deadly proposition.  At The Hundley Law Firm we want you to do everything to keep you and your family safe and we are therefore providing you with 15 steps to change a tire safely. 

1. The things you need to change a tire include: a jack, a lug wrench, and a spare tire.
2. You should know where these items are located in look it surer vehicles instruction booklet to locate them.
3. If you’ve got a flat tire you should drive the shortest distance you can to avoid damage to your wheel and your tire, but you must stop in a safe location.  If you need to change the tire on the freeway/highway, you should pull aside only in a flat area. You never want to have to change a tire on gravel, or on an up or down hill.  You also want to avoid changing tires closed curves whenever possible.
4. After you come to a safe area and stop your vehicle on a flat solid surface, you should put on your emergency brake and emergency flashers.  You should also put out road flares approximately 75 feet behind your car so the people behind you can slow down as they approach.  If you’re changing a tire near a curve, you should put the flares toward the entrance of the curve so that other motorists know they are coming up upon a hazard.  These flares should be used in both the day and nighttime and can be purchased at most automotive stores.
5. After you’re in a safe area and you’ve put out warning flares, take a look and see which tire needs to be changed and take out your spare tire, your jack, and your lug wrench.  One side of the wrench is used to pry off your hubcap.  Use this small end of the wrench and placed it underneath the back edge of the hubcap and pry it off.  Then with a lug wrench, loosen the lug nuts by using a tower clockwise motion.  This should be done with your tires still on the ground.  You only want to just loosen the nuts at this point.  You do not want to remove them yet.
6. Ensure that nobody is in your vehicle and don’t let anybody enter the vehicle while you lift the vehicle with your jack. 
7. Place the jack in the proper location according to your owners manual and start raising your vehicle off the ground.  Please note that if you place the jack in the wrong place you can damage your car or cause it to over.  Once the car is lifted, never put any part of your body underneath a car at any time.
8. Once the car is lifted, go ahead and remove all the lug nuts using the lug wrench by turning them counterclockwise.  
9.   Take a flat tire off and set it to the side off the roadway.
10. Place the spare tire on the up and lined up the lug studs as you push on the spare tire.  Then tighten the lug nuts in the clockwise direction with your fingers as tight as you can.
11. Then take the lug wrench and tighten the lug nuts as tight as you can while the car is still lifted in the air.
12. Carefully lower the vehicle using your jack.
13. When all your wheels are back on the ground, again tighten the lug nuts to make sure that they are as tight as possible.  You should try each lug not three or four times to make sure they are absolutely tight.
14. There’s no need to replace your hubcap because you will be having a new tire for your old tired repaired shortly.
15. Before leaving the area make sure that you extinguish the road flares and make sure to enter the roadway only when it is safe.

The Hundley Law Firm is here to help you or a loved one has been  injured in the accident due to the negligence of another.  We want everyone to remain safe, but if despite your best efforts you or a family member has been injured and you need legal representation, please call us at 310-348-8106.  We are here to help and will provide you with a free consultation to discuss your legal rights.