Diogo Jota's fatal accident: Could a tire blowout have been the cause of the accident?

The football world is mourning the loss of Diogo Jota. The Liverpool FC attacking star and Portuguese international, who had recently married and was only 28 years old, died in a tragic car accident in Spain. Also on board the Lamborghini Huracan was his younger brother André Silva, a player for Portuguese second division club Penafiel.

Initial details of the accident have now been revealed. Diogo Jota and André Silva were traveling on the A-52 near the town of Cernadilla (Zamora province), located in northwestern Spain on the Portuguese border, when they attempted to overtake another car. According to police, one of the two rear tires burst. A video of the accident scene from the local newspaper "Diario de Castilla y León" shows a tire track leading to the left of the roadway toward the grass verge. There, the Lamborghini apparently broke through a guardrail, causing it to roll over and subsequently catch fire.

The two men were unable to free themselves from the car and fell victim to the flames. Photos and videos on the internet show that the sports car was destroyed beyond recognition. Debris from the crashed car was reportedly found within a radius of about 100 meters from the spot where the Lamborghini ultimately burned out.

After the fatal accident involving Diogo Jota and his brother, the question arises as to whether a modern tire can really burst just like that. In fact, tire blowouts are extremely rare – and when they do occur, there's always a valid reason. The forces required to destroy a fresh and functioning car tire are enormous. In Diogo Jota's case, too, only external circumstances could have led to such a catastrophic event. We can only speculate at this point – but if it was indeed a tire blowout, the following theoretically possible causes could have been responsible:

If the air pressure is too low, the tire heats up very quickly due to the constant flexion of the sidewall – especially at high speeds. The tire sides become so hot over time that they can even catch fire. This is actually not uncommon in trucks, especially those with long trailers. In these cases, the truck driver may not even notice that one of the many tires is failing due to insufficient air until its tread breaks off. Such treads are often seen lying on the side of the highway. The resulting damage from a tire fire can be devastating if the load or the entire truck catches fire.

Car drivers are likely to notice such impending damage quickly. For one thing, there are only four wheels, and for another, electronic tire pressure loss warning systems have long been mandatory. Since November 1, 2014, the equipment of such a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) has been mandatory for all new cars registered in the EU. Diogo Jota's Lamborghini was even able to display the exact tire pressure of each wheel via the tire pressure monitoring system. It is therefore relatively unlikely that one of the four tires was significantly under-inflated long before the accident.

Tires are marked with a load index, which indicates the maximum weight a single tire can carry. This number is printed directly on the tire and can be converted into kilograms using a standardized table. For example, a load index of 91 means the tire can carry up to 615 kilograms.

Since a car rests on four tires, the load capacity per tire must match the total weight of the vehicle (including payload). The load index is indicated on the tire sidewall next to the tire size, for example: "205/55 R16 91V." Here, the "91" stands for the load index.

It's important to always choose tires with the load index specified by the vehicle manufacturer or higher – otherwise, it can be dangerous and even invalidate the vehicle's operating license. However, overloading Diogo Jota's Lamborghini is also unlikely. After all, it only has two seats and a very small trunk. Tires easily absorb even the forces caused by dynamic axle load shifts at full load.

Because tires are made of rubber, they are subject to a natural aging process, which can be accelerated primarily by strong sunlight and high temperatures. However, for an old tire to burst due to porous rubber, it would have to be very old. The Lamborghini Huracán rolled off the assembly line in Sant'Agata Bolognese between 2014 and 2024. In the worst case scenario, Diogo Jota's tires would have been at most eleven years old. At that age, a tire change is recommended, but the tires are unlikely to be worn out.

Tire damage is more likely – especially because sports car tires have a very flat sidewall. This means they simply can't handle deep potholes or curb contact as well. And unlike the thick and robust tread, the tire's sidewalls are relatively sensitive, especially when caught between a sharp rim edge and a curb. Such damage will be severely criticized at the latest at a workshop or during a vehicle inspection.

Diogo Jota's dramatic accident could also have been caused by a sudden tire failure. However, in our opinion, there would have been a massive external impact on the Lamborghini's rear wheel. While a screw or nail can also pierce the tread, they usually don't cause a tire blowout, but rather a slow puncture.

If Diogo Jota drove over an obstacle at high speed shortly before the accident, it would have had to be a curb, a sharp edge, or a large, hard object. At least the photos of the accident scene don't show a curb. There's no mention of other obstacles so far. Damaged, sharp-edged carbon or sheet metal parts of the vehicle itself are also conceivable.

If the aforementioned causes can be avoided, statistically no one needs to fear a sudden tire blowout. If such a sudden blowout does occur, there are significant differences between the front and rear wheels. If a tire blows out on the front axle, you'll notice it immediately—but depending on the speed, the vehicle will still be relatively easy to maneuver to the side of the road.

Things can be different on the rear axle, as the rear wheels are responsible for directional stability. If a tire suddenly loses control, the rear end can spin in very quickly, causing the car to skid uncontrollably. Even the ESP is not prepared for such scenarios, especially since it can no longer transmit braking force via the damaged tire. Such a situation can be particularly dramatic if the majority of the vehicle's weight is on the rear axle. In the case of Diogo Jota's mid-engined Lamborghini Huracan, almost 60 percent of the mass is on the rear axle. In such a vehicle, spin occurs even more suddenly and violently than in vehicles with a front engine, for example. If the turning impulse is too great, even the most modern ESP has no chance of bringing the car under control.

Diogo Jota leaves behind a wife and three children born between 2021 and 2024. He won the UEFA Nations League twice with the Portuguese national team and was crowned Premier League champion, FA Cup winner, and League Cup winner once each. Jota scored 63 goals in 190 Premier League appearances for England. He scored 14 goals in 49 caps for his country's national team.