Jury Orders Ford to Pay $7 Million to Family of Mustang Crash Victim

[Evolvd]

This is incredibly unfortunate for the girl and her family. Losing a family member is never easy, especially when they were so young. However, let's consider the ramifications of the precedent set with this ruling. This would open the door for other lawsuits involving other vehicles and manufacturers not based on a truly flawed vehicle design or manufacturing defect but based on the manufacturer's being held liable for the inherent danger of driving a vehicle on public roadways. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and that privilege comes with potentially fatal outcomes due to the nature of it (people make mistakes, shit happens, etc). The thought that you can eliminate this inherent danger or have the company that makes the product so that you can electively choose to drive be responsible for what's essentially Murphy's Law is absolutely abhorrent. It also has the potential to have a massive negative impact on the market because these businesses will start to reconsider what they produce and sell to consumers if they have to constantly worry about every single customer being a potential plaintiff in a case where the liability isn't something the company should bear.

Take out “cars” and insert “guns”….same thing is happening.

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[Hack]

Corruption is out of control. It's terrible to have a family member die, especially in that manner. However, our legal system is completely broken if a judgement like this can result. Definitely big bucks change hands, so the scales have been tipped way out of balance due to the opportunities to make money.

Ford has no fault at all. They are only guilty of having money, which is becoming more and more criminal in this country. Anyone who buys a Ford (or a car from any other automaker) ends up paying for this judgement. No wonder we have $60k Mach 1s.

 

[oneheadlite]

Corruption is out of control. It's terrible to have a family member die, especially in that manner. However, our legal system is completely broken if a judgement like this can result. Definitely big bucks change hands, so the scales have been tipped way out of balance due to the opportunities to make money.

Ford has no fault at all. They are only guilty of having money, which is becoming more and more criminal in this country. Anyone who buys a Ford (or a car from any other automaker) ends up paying for this judgement. No wonder we have $60k Mach 1s.

^^^This^^^
...the company my wife worked for sold Concrete and sand/gravel. They didn't
haul gravel/sand, only sold it.

A guy trucked a load of big rock one day and had a rock fall out of
the dump bed, hitting in the road and striking a car in the windshield
killing the driver of the car.
He was 5 or more miles away from the quarry when this happened.
Guess what??
Wifeys company was responsible, monetarily, for the car driver's death.

The reason they gave her was; somebody has to pay, companies have money
like this in the form of insurance, so....................

 

[FreePenguin]

this article pissed me off.
dude hits mustang girl, she dies in fire, that isn't fords fault. the dude hit her car.
that is end of story, sue the criminal person, and if you can't bleed them, bleed the insurance.

we need to stop charging the companies, or no one will want to have a company. ie. weapon companies being sued for people using them on other people? get out of here man.

its sad yes, but this is not fords fault.

 

[Bulldog9]

A terrible situation and accident.... No way to avoid all terrible outcomes

 

[Red65]

Take out “cars” and insert “guns”….same thing is happening.

I agree whole heartedly. I thought about adding the comparison of the parents trying to sue gun companies after Sandy Hook but I didn’t want to jump into the harsher politics just yet.

 

[Mr. Met]

 

[FreePenguin]

I agree whole heartedly. I thought about adding the comparison of the parents trying to sue gun companies after Sandy Hook but I didn’t want to jump into the harsher politics just yet.

lawsuits should only be between the 2 parties, not a single other person. idc if the guy who hit me has potatoes in his wallet and his mom or sister or family or his car dealer is a billionaire, they didn't do anything to me, they should be off limits.

 

[DrZed]

Perishing by fire is horrible - but if the argument was the fire was caused by the master cylinder imploding on impact due to the angle, speed and inertia of the vehicles meeting - how is this a Ford issue?

Every vehicle has an "exposed" master cylinder reservoir - past and present. More modern day vehicles have a plastic master cyl reservoir, as opposed to many years ago when the MC reservoir was metal.

For those wondering about the fire aspect, this article has info on brake fluid flammability when coming in contact with a heated surface:
https://trid.trb.org/view/294408

Is the argument the fact that a plastic reservoir can be crushed and break open on impact, and the resulting splashing of brake fluid onto hot engine components can spontaneously ignite?

Or is the argument that Ford's design and location of the MC is not sufficient? Because if it's the design and location - this is not a "Ford" thing, it's an "all" vehicle Manufacturing issue AND an approved design by DOT and other automobile regulations.

How is a part failure (and location of it) the fault of Ford - when we're talking a legally approved design by automotive safety standards and a location that almost every single automotive manufacturer utilizes?

Does NHTSA crash testing cover every single possible aspect of a vehicle crash and the resulting damages and/or injuries - that could lead to a fatality? NO. It covers the most common crash types, regions of impact and how a "body" can be injured, as well as what current safety implementations can prevent serious injury or possible death. NHTSA can't possibly predict or come up with every crash scenario possible. If a vehicle passes the standards based on the current safety grading levels and vehicle construction - the vehicle is safe for retail sale to consumers. Just because an actual event occurs which had results beyond the norm of testing (and very unfortunate fatality) doesn't mean it's the fault of any vehicle manufacturer.

For all intentional purposes, shouldn't the lawsuit name the brake fluid manufacturer? If the fluid content/ingredients wasn't flammable when coming in contact with hot surfaces, the fluid would never have ignited, and no fire condition would have existed. True? So maybe those who manufacture brake fluid need to revise the ingredients so it cannot spontaneously combust when hitting a hot surface.

I don't see this as a Ford fault OR insert other XYZ vehicle manufacturer in place of Ford.

Also how is it that the individual who caused the accident is only at 1% fault? Heck, if we take a step back further beyond the brake fluid combustion resulting in the subsequent fire, if the other driver had not crossed over and smashed into the Mustang's A-pillar, there would never have been an accident resulting in said death, correct? So to me - the other driver should have been held accountable for at least 99% at fault for not maintaining their lane of travel and not being in control of their vehicle.

The resulting Judgement is way off base when really looking at the Big Picture.

 

[TexasRebel]

Agree with @Cobra Jet and @Evolvd. Reminds me of the "I burned myself with coffee at McDonald's BS".

That one wasn't actually BS. The temperature of the coffee was found to be too hot for the material properties of the cup & lid. I don't remember if it was only an issue at that one particular location or if the whole of McDonald's was found to use inadequate material for the beverages going into their beverage containers.

 

[Mr. Met]

That one wasn't actually BS. The temperature of the coffee was found to be too hot for the material properties of the cup & lid. I don't remember if it was only an issue at that one particular location or if the whole of McDonald's was found to use inadequate material for the beverages going into their beverage containers.

Yes, and the women was severely injured. She also died before she got any money.

 

[Evolvd]

I actually ate at that exact McDonald’s in Albuquerque lol

 

[sirernestshackleton]

I agree whole heartedly. I thought about adding the comparison of the parents trying to sue gun companies after Sandy Hook but I didn’t want to jump into the harsher politics just yet.

You sure picked a great day to criticize the families of elementary school kids murdered in a mass shooting. How are these Sandy Hook parents wrong here? What's the acceptable reaction for them to take?

Also, the McD's coffee reaction is so, so tired. Look up the actual story and what happened to that woman.

 

[Evolvd]

You sure picked a great day to criticize the families of elementary school kids murdered in a mass shooting. How are these Sandy Hook parents wrong here? What's the acceptable reaction for them to take?

Also, the McD's coffee reaction is so, so tired. Look up the actual story and what happened to that woman.

That’s a can of worms nobody wants to open and inappropriate for a car forum

 

[sirernestshackleton]

That’s a can of worms nobody wants to open and inappropriate for a car forum

Did I open it, or did the poster I quoted open it?

Because no one called out the original post criticizing Sandy Hook parents.

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