As the jury considered damages, Ford decided to settle a long-standing lawsuit with a couple who sued the car maker following a Christmas 2005 wreck that left the woman paralyzed. Ford has agreed to pay the couple $16 million in damages for injuries that the plaintiffs argued were caused by vehicle design defects in the 2002 Explorer.
The female victim, then 58-years-old, was seated in the backseat between her grandchildren when another car lost control coming around a curve and slammed head on into the Explorer. The victim, wearing a lap belt, was slammed forward and down as the rear seat latch failed. This sudden movement catastrophically injured her spinal cord and left her paralyzed from the waist down. The other four passengers in the car did not have significant injuries.
In 2007, the plaintiffs filed a negligence suit against Ford and presented evidence that the manufacturer had known about the dangers of lap-only belts. The plaintiffs presented documents from Ford and crash test memos that indicated the company had known about the inadequacy and danger of the lap belts but had failed to make the necessary changes in order to save money.
Unfortunately, there are many more cases like this one in which car manufacturers continue to make and sell cars even when they know the vehicles are unsafe. The Los Angeles auto product liability attorneys at Panish, Shea & Boyle are leaders in the field of automotive defect law and understand the serious consequences of defective auto parts. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed because of a defective car part, please contact Panish, Shea & Boyle to find out how we can help. We have a successful record in automobile defect cases, including a record $4.9 billion verdict against General Motors. For a free consultation, call 877-800-1700.
