A woman was driving a Ford Explorer in 2005 when she was hit by another vehicle. The impact from the crash combined with her weight was apparently enough to cause the driver’s seat to collapse backward. This defect caused a fracture in the woman’s vertebra as she hit the back seat.
The victim filed a personal injury claim against Ford, alleging that the car manufacturer failed to warn her that the seats in the Explorer were not designed for obese people, or that the seats could collapse in a car accident.
The victim’s case went to trial, but a judge ruled in favor of Ford on a directed verdict motion, according to riverfronttimes.com. This motion essentially says that the victim failed to prove her case.
Fortunately, the victim’s case received new life after a state Supreme Court ruled that she could continue with her injury claim since the victim probably would not have purchased the Explorer if Ford had warned their customers about the potential seat collapse in an accident.
We applaud this decision and hope the victim is able to get some semblance of justice in court. Her life was changed forever after the wreck and it appears that could have been prevented if Ford had taken the time to actually warn their customers about the inherent risks associated with Ford’s seat design.
PA