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INJURY LAW

Read a guide to the legal rights of the injured.

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Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, represents people injured in tire and other vehicle accidents. Click here to submit your case.

VIDEO

Lieff Cabraser attorneys Robert J. Nelson and Scott Nealey discuss a wrongful death lawsuit based on a transmission defect in millions of Chrysler vehicles.

Vehicle Safety News

April 4, 2006

Appellate Court Affirms Jury Verdict Finding Ford Escort Defective

The Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Knoxville upheld a Cumberland County trial court's decision in Potter, et al. v. Ford Motor Company. In September 2002, while driving her 1997 Ford Escort, Betty Potter lost control of the vehicle at a speed of 35-40 mph resulting in a rear-end collision with a tree. The Escort's seat back collapsed sending Potter sliding into the Escort's rear seat back. Potter fractured her thoracic vertebrae, severed her spinal cord, and was left paralyzed from her chest down.

At trial, Potter's attorney introduced evidence that the Ford Escort was defective because the seat back could not withstand the force of a foreseeable collision. Experts testified that the Escort's seat design was unable to absorb collision-force energy to prevent the seat from collapsing in an uncontrolled way. The jury agreed with Potter and returned a verdict finding Ford Motor Company 70% at fault, the jury awarded Potter $7 million for her injuries and future medical care. Ford Motor Company appealed the verdict. The appellate court ruled the evidence presented to the jury was sufficient to show the Escort was defective and denied Ford's appeal.

DEFECTIVE VEHICLES - PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS

We are committed to providing the very best representation and support possible for our vehicle injury clients, and to obtaining the highest compensation available under law for their claims.

Contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser to discuss your legal rights at no cost or obligation.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

Our lawyers have years of experience successfully representing clients in personal injury cases.
There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case.
In death and serious injury cases, we are pleased to visit you where you live, at no cost, to discuss your legal rights and answer your questions.
We have retained automotive safety and medical experts nationwide to assist our clients with their claims.

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is a national plaintiffs' law firm of over 50 lawyers with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. Our attorneys are recognized for the successful prosecution of lawsuits involving deaths, personal injuries and property damage due to defective products, including dangerous and defective vehicles.

In 2007, in Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler, Lieff Cabraser attorneys, with local co-counsel, obtained the fourth-largest verdict in California for the year. At trial, plaintiffs showed that a defective transmission was responsible for making a Dodge Dakota pickup shift into reverse and run over Richard Mraz.

To learn more about the firm, click here.

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