The US Supreme Court is refusing to review the $83 million verdict awarded in the California SUV rollover lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. The auto manufacturer has sought to have the auto products liability award against it overturned since 2004 when a jury awarded $369 million to Benetta Buell-Wilson for her personal injuries. That was the first time Ford had ever lost a products liability lawsuit involving a Ford Explorer.
During the appeals process, the award amount was reduced. Eventually Buell-Wilson and her husband were awarded $55 million in punitive damages and $27.6 million in compensatory damages.
In 2002, Buell-Wilson sustained a spinal cord injury that left her a paraplegic. The then 46-year-old mother of two swerved her Ford Explorer to avoid striking a metal object that fell from another vehicle. Her sport utility vehicle then rolled over four times.
Buell-Wilson and her husband sued Ford for California personal injury. They claimed that the Ford Explorer had a poorly designed roof and that it was prone to rollovers.
SUV Rollover Accidents
Thousands of motor vehicle crashes are caused by auto rollovers. The vehicle may be an SUV, a van, a passenger vehicle, or a light truck. Out of all these vehicles, however, SUV's have the highest rollover rate.
Auto defects that can lead to SUV rollover injuries:
• Poor vehicle design with its higher center of gravity
• Defective tires
• Roofs that easily crush inward during a rollover accident
• Defective seat belts
• Inadequate safety features
An Orange County, California SUV rollover accidents can lead to spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, massive internal injuries, and wrongful death.
Auto manufacturers are supposed to design vehicles that are not easily prone to rolling over. The motor vehicles should also come with the proper safety devices to protect passengers in the event of a rollover accident. An SUV rollover can be caused by a defective auto part or by a negligent motorist. Injured parties may have grounds for filing an Orange County, California auto products liability lawsuit.
Supreme Court rejects Ford's appeal in rollover case, Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2009
$369M Verdict In SUV Rollover, CBS, June 4, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Statement of Benetta Buell-Wilson, Public Citizen, March 23, 2004
