S.C. Highway Patrol investigates role of Uniroyal tire in ambulance crash

GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 17)—The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the role a Uniroyal Laredo tire might have played in a fatal crash involving a Greenville Hospital System ambulance. The tire, on the left rear of the ambulance, allegedly suffered a tread separation, causing the driver to lose control. Birdie Bell Logan, an 88-year-old woman on route to the hospital with respiratory problems, died in the crash. The Highway Patrol hasn't formally contacted Michelin North America Inc., the manufacturer of the tire, so the company doesn't even know the size or tread design of the tire, a Michelin spokeswoman said. "There are many potential causes for a tread separation or tread detachment, and most are use- or abuse-related," she said in a prepared statement.