Multimillion-Dollar Verdict Upheld in Ford Motor Co. Product Liability Case By Michelle Logsdon - April 11, 2002
According to Oklahoma’s Supreme Court, Ford Motor Co. is liable for a teenager’s permanent disability because it built and sold an “unreasonably dangerous vehicle.”
The High Court upheld a decision, April 11, to award the family of 19-year-old Ricky Johnson a multimillion-dollar settlement. The teenager was driving a Ford Ranger pickup truck near his home of Tecumseh, OK in June 1997 when he went off the road and landed in a creek. The seat belt ripped during the crash and Johnson suffered severe injuries, including permanent brain damage.
Johnson’s parents argued that the sharp edge of the seat belt latch plate sliced through the belt leaving Johnson unrestrained at impact. Ford has not claimed responsibility for the boy’s injuries and said the seat belt was not defective.
Including the interest accrued from the time of the first ruling in this case, the final judgment was for $6.5 million.
Adjuster / Examiner Claims Examiner Santa Ana Unified School District Santa Ana, CA