A widow is suing FedEx arguing that faulty tires on one of the company’s trucks caused the fiery crash that killed her husband.
Hamilton Platt, 32, died on 21 September after he crashed into a FedEx truck that blew a tire and stopped in the middle of an Alabama highway.
His wife, Kelsie Platt, 28, first learned about the crash on social media.
Reading the comments, she said, “One of them was like, ‘Yeah, someone’s definitely dead in that car. The smell was horrible driving by.’ It was hard to see that, but I still held out hope that he wasn’t in there”.
She told WPMI, “I just started texting him. I love you, just on the off chance he may see it”.
Her wrongful death lawsuit against the company states Mr Platt survived the initial crash and that he was “aware of his impending death, and that he was burning alive”.
Ms Platt told WPMI that their children, aged eight and five, are having a hard time dealing with their father’s passing.
“My son isn’t doing that great,” she said. “He doesn’t understand heaven and that daddy is in heaven. There for a little while, he was angry with the idea of Jesus and God that they were keeping him up there.”
The lawsuit argues that FedEx, Goodyear, and the other parties named in the suit used faulty retread tires.
Attorney Ed Rowan, who represents Ms Platt, told WPMI: “It’s a hazard. It’s playing Russian roulette driving on the roadway with tires in this condition”.
He argued that the tires on the truck were bald, separating, and should have been switched out before the crash took place.
“You would also hope that FedEx is inspecting their vehicles and their tires. I mean, inspecting the tires is one of the most important things you can do,” Mr Rowan said.
In 2016, FedEx settled a lawsuit filed in Wyoming following a deadly collision.
“All of this could have been prevented,” Ms Platt told WPMI.
In a statement, FedEx told NBC News 15 that “we continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr Platt. We have been fully cooperating with investigating authorities. We will defend the lawsuit”.
The Independent has reached out to FedEx, Goodyear, and Ms Platt.
