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Once again, Ford Motor Co. must be feeling that "hunk of bad road" syndrome today after the state’s 1^st District Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a $25.9 million verdict stemming from a 1996 incident in which the driver of a Bronco II SUV flipped over, leaving a Northern California insurance executive a quadriplegic.

The outcome of the case can only leave a residue of bitter irony for the victim (who has since died), his family and Ford itself.

On May 30 a 3-judge panel affirmed a jury verdict that Ford was liable. Even though a Hayward, CA jury ruled that the suffering of the victim and his wife was worth more than $51 million, jurors concluded that the driver, Richard Raimondi, was partially responsible for the rollover when he swerved to avoid an obstacle. The damages were then assessed at $19.4 million for the driver and $6.5 million for his wife.

Raimondi was placed on a ventilator after the accident and died several months after the jury verdict in March 2000. He was 53.

According to Paul Nelson, the victims’ attorney, the $25.9 million verdict is one of the largest ever against Ford in a Bronco rollover case. "They (the judges) affirmed it completely," Nelson said. "The court carefully considered and rejected every appellate argument Ford raised."

Still reeling from the dicey Bridgestone/Firestone tire-SUV controversy, Ford has yet to say whether it will consider possible further appeal in the Raimondi case.