Ford ordered to pay $14.5 million over Explorer accident
December 7, 1999
BY WILLIAM MCQUILLEN
BLOOMBERG
CHICAGO -- Ford Motor Co., the world's No. 2 automaker, was told by a Chicago jury last month to pay $14 million to a woman who was injured when the 1991 Explorer she drove was rear-ended.
Ford will ask the court to set aside the verdict and plans to appeal the state court jury's decision, said Mark Boyle, an attorney representing Ford. The jury ordered the automaker to pay another $500,000 to Lydia Carrillo's husband Angelo stemming from the 1993 accident.
Carrillo's vehicle was stopped at a red light when a 1980 Chevrolet Impala hit it at a speed of 60 to 65 miles an hour, Boyle said. The jury decided the Explorer's front seats were not strong enough to withstand the impact of the collision.
Boyle said the vehicle's seats met all safety requirements.
"With the nature of the accident, risks of serious injury existed," Boyle said. "(When) hit at 60 to 65 miles per hour, there are risks of injury regardless of seat and seat design."
The jury found Ford 30 percent responsible for the accident, and Kevin Gaczkowski, the driver of the Impala, 70 percent liable. Illinois laws will make Ford responsible for the entire verdict, Boyle said.
The award is the latest in a string of product liability jury verdicts against the major automakers.
In September, Ford won the right to a new trial on a California jury's award of $295 million for a 1993 rollover of a Bronco that killed a couple and their teenage son near Modesto, California
December 7, 1999
BY WILLIAM MCQUILLEN
BLOOMBERG
CHICAGO -- Ford Motor Co., the world's No. 2 automaker, was told by a Chicago jury last month to pay $14 million to a woman who was injured when the 1991 Explorer she drove was rear-ended.
Ford will ask the court to set aside the verdict and plans to appeal the state court jury's decision, said Mark Boyle, an attorney representing Ford. The jury ordered the automaker to pay another $500,000 to Lydia Carrillo's husband Angelo stemming from the 1993 accident.
Carrillo's vehicle was stopped at a red light when a 1980 Chevrolet Impala hit it at a speed of 60 to 65 miles an hour, Boyle said. The jury decided the Explorer's front seats were not strong enough to withstand the impact of the collision.
Boyle said the vehicle's seats met all safety requirements.
"With the nature of the accident, risks of serious injury existed," Boyle said. "(When) hit at 60 to 65 miles per hour, there are risks of injury regardless of seat and seat design."
The jury found Ford 30 percent responsible for the accident, and Kevin Gaczkowski, the driver of the Impala, 70 percent liable. Illinois laws will make Ford responsible for the entire verdict, Boyle said.
The award is the latest in a string of product liability jury verdicts against the major automakers.
In September, Ford won the right to a new trial on a California jury's award of $295 million for a 1993 rollover of a Bronco that killed a couple and their teenage son near Modesto, California
