Family sues tire maker over fatal Utah crash involving USU students

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The widow and children of a Utah State University instructor have sued a tire maker over a 2005 traffic accident that killed him and eight of his students.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, alleges a tire on a school van was defective and its tread peeled off without warning, causing instructor Evan Parker to lose control of the vehicle.

It claims Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. knew the design and manufacture of its tires were faulty and did not fix the problems.

Cooper spokeswoman Michelle Zeislof did not immediately return a phone call Saturday afternoon.

Parker was driving 10 agricultural students back to Logan from a field trip when the van blew a tire and rolled down an embankment along I-84.

The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.