Personal Injury Law

Georgia Supreme Court Upholds $13 Million in Ford Crash Case

By Internal Administrator

Nine years ago a Clarke County, Georgia woman riding in a 1985 Ford Mercury Grand Marquis, was rear ended by another car.  When the Toyota slammed into her vehicle, it burst into flames.  Anne Marie Gibson died immediately.

After the family filed a lawsuit, it was revealed that bolts from the trailer hitch on Gibson's vehicle gouged into the rear-mounted gas tank.  The force of the collision created a spark that caused the tank to burst into flames. 

Ford would not release information about other lawsuits resulting from exploding gas tanks and that is ultimately is what proved to be the company's undoing. 

Clarke County State Court Judge Kent Lawrence had ruled if the company would not release internal company documents, the jury should consider that essentially an admission that it knew about the defective auto design.  The jury awarded the family $13 million in 1999.

Seven years have passed, not unusual when a company does not want to pay or admit guilt.  Last week, the Georgia Supreme Court decided to uphold the family's verdict.

And while this case is over, the unsettling news is that these cars are sill on the road. At least 50 other people have been killed or seriously burned by the rear-mounted gas tanks, says the family Atlanta attorney George Fryhofer.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issues reports on the safety of vehicles including the Grand Marquis.    It reports that the Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis were re-eigineered in the 2003 model year. 

Please check with this valuable web site about the safety data on your present family car or on any automobiles you are considering purchasing.  How unfortunate that we cannot rely on manufacturers to put the passenger first and then to be honest about it when they don't.  

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on April 06, 2008 (boomark / email).