accidents happen, I wouldnt say it was the tires. Regarless of if they are new or not, when you over drive a car it dosent matter what tires are on it. It almost sounds like you should have just ran the rods over but its all situational. Hopefully you have some insurance to help you out or the highway owner will maybe cover some of it. (county or city)

Glad to hear no one was hurt. Is the frame bent up in there? I see panels that are bent.