A jury has ordered the Ford Motor Company to pay $6 million to a South Florida man who was paralyzed in an accident in a Ford Aerostar van. In 2002, the teenager was traveling on a family vacation. His mother was driving the 1993 van when a tire blew out, the van rolled over and the roof caved in. The teenage passenger suffered a broken neck which left him paralyzed.
The claims against Ford involved familiar issues in these product liability actions. According to the lawsuit, Ford knew there was a propensity for vans and trucks to roll over, especially after a tire blew out, and the company failed to provide adequate engineering and safety measures to protect consumers. Again, we see profits taking priority over people. At least until the matter comes before a citizen jury.
In this case, after a six-week trial, the six-person jury found that Ford failed to use reasonable care by placing the Aerostar Van on the market with a defect. The substantial verdict reflects the lifetime of economic and non-economic damages this young man will suffer.
To no one’s surprise Ford Motor has vowed to appeal. Indeed, most significant verdicts find their way into our appellate courts. In this case, Ford denies that the jury was presented with any evidence of a vehicle defect. Fortunately, the public is becoming more and more aware of a car maker’s duty to consider safe designs and to eliminate unnecessary, foreseeable hazards.
