2007 Vehicle Safety Press Articles |
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December 10, 2007 |
CBC News, "Over 570,000 Dodge vehicles recalled due to faulty gearshift" |
Chrysler is recalling 575,417 Dodge trucks, vans and SUVs sold in Canada and the United States to repair a problem with the gearshift. The recall, announced Friday, affects Dodge Dakota trucks, Dodge Durango SUVs and Dodge Ram vans in the 2001 and 2002 model years as well as 2002 Dodge Ram pickup trucks. More... |
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December 9, 2007 |
AFX News Limited, "Chrysler recalls 576,000 trucks on faulty gearshift" |
Chrysler LLC said it will voluntarily recall more than 576,000 trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles because of a faulty gearshift. More... |
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December 6, 2007 |
Northwest Arkansas Times, "Expert testifies that design flaws contributed to fatal crash" |
A plaintiffs' expert testified Wednesday that he thinks there was a defect in the van involved in a fatal 2003 accident. Ford Motor Co. is being sued by several plaintiffs who were passengers in the van when it crashed on Interstate 70 in Kansas. More... |
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December
6, 2007 |
MSNBC.com, "Ford
recalls 1.1 million vehicles for engine flaw" |
Ford Motor
Co. said Thursday it is recalling 1.17 million
trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans to fix
an engine sensor that could lead to engine stalling.
The recalled vehicles are all from the 1997-2003
model years with 7.3 liter diesel engines, including
the Ford E-Series van, Excursion full-size sport
utility vehicle, and F-450 Super Duty and F-550
Super Duty trucks. More... |
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December 5, 2007 |
Associated Content, "Lawsuit Claims Ford's Expedition SUV Has Faulty Roof That Collapses in Rollover" |
The suit was filed on Nov. 8, 2005, and alleges that the defendant, Ford Motor Company, knowingly manufactured and sold its Expedition model SUV with a defective roof that collapses in rollover accidents. More... |
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December
4, 2007 |
Associated
Press, "Correction on Ford
Explorer Rollover Dangers Settlement" |
In
a November 28, 2007 story about the settlement
of class-action lawsuits involving the Ford Explorer, The
Associated Press erroneously reported that
the settlements end all the outstanding rollover-related
lawsuits against the automotive company. The
settlements end the class-action lawsuits brought
by Explorer owners who said their vehicles had
lost value because of their perceived danger.
They do not end pending personal injury and wrongful
death lawsuits involving the Explorer, plaintiffs'
attorneys and Ford Motor Co. said. |
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November 29, 2007 |
McClatchy-Tribune Business News, "Ford to settle SUV lawsuit: Explorer owners would get vouchers for new Ford vehicles" |
A proposed settlement in a massive class-action lawsuit brought in Sacramento against the Ford Motor Co. would give 1 million Explorer owners in four states the opportunity to claim vouchers toward the purchase of a new Ford vehicle. More... |
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November
28, 2007 |
Reuters, "Ford
agrees to settle some rollover cases" |
Ford Motor
Co has agreed to settle class-action litigation
covering plaintiffs in four states who claimed
its Explorer sport utility vehicles were prone
to rollovers, Ford said on Wednesday. "From
Ford's position, we believe the settlement is
fair and reasonable and in the best in interests
of our customers and our shareholders," Ford
spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said. More... |
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August 28, 2007 |
Guelph Mercury, "One killed in fiery crash of Kia Sportage" |
One person is dead and four more have been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a four-vehicle crash yesterday evening. More... |
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August 24, 2007 |
The Lexington Herald Leader (KY), "Nicholasville mourns deaths of 3 children in Kia Sedona fire" |
After the thunderous crash of a van on Watts Mill Road shook their house, Chuck and Lisa Evans heard whimpering and crying. They found a young girl outside the van and a boy lying on the ground. Chuck Evans beat back a fire in the Kia Sedona with a home fire extinguisher, but the fire raged up and "swept through the van like a tornado," he said recalling the horrific scene Tuesday night south of Nicholasville that left three children dead. More... |
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August 17, 2007 |
The Post-Standard (NY), "Kia Sportage fire kills 2 children; faulty muffler suspected" |
Investigators believe holes in the top of a muffler ignited the floorboard and interior of a vehicle Tuesday on Interstate 86 in the town of Erwin, Steuben County, killing a 4-week-old infant and her 18-month-old sister, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports. More... |
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August 16, 2007 |
Star-Gazette (NY), "Muffler eyed in fatal I-86 Kia Sportage fire" |
Investigators believe holes in the top of a muffler ignited the floorboard and interior of a vehicle on Interstate 86 in the town of Erwin on Tuesday, killing a 4-week-old infant and her 18-month-old sister. The infant, Sinaya Beam, and her sister, 18-month-old Izzybella Beam, both died in a fire that broke out in the back seat area of the 1999 Kia Sportage driven by their mother, 25-year-old Melissa Johns of Savona. More... |
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August 15, 2007 |
CNN, "Ford
recalling millions of vehicles because of faulty
switches" |
Two
years after his wife of 34 years died in a fire,
an Iowa man continues to maintain the blaze was
started by a faulty cruise control switch under
the hood of her 1996 Ford F-150 pickup -- while
it was parked in the garage attached to his home.
Although Ford has denied -- and continues to
deny -- the switch started the fire that killed
74-year-old Dolly Mohlis in 2005, the company
recently settled a lawsuit brought against it
by Earl Mohlis. And last week, it issued a recall
of an estimated 3.6 million vehicles -- bringing
the total recalled over the past decade to more
than 10 million -- every single car and truck
built with a similar cruise control switch. More... |
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August 11, 2007 |
Jacksonville Progress, "Fiery crash spurs Florida suit against Ford - 1993 Mark VIII" |
When 22-year-old Payton Lewis and his girlfriend Samantha Ely died in a fiery single-vehicle accident Dec. 9, 2006, questions were raised regarding the cause of the crash. More...
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August 9, 2007 |
St.
Petersburg Times, "Local
officials have seen the damage faulty Ford
cruise control switches can do" |
Pasco
County fire investigator Don Campbell started
noticing the problem about two years ago. The
engines inside Ford sport utility vehicles and
F-150 pickup trucks would mysteriously catch
fire and burn, nearly always when the vehicle
was parked and hadn't been driven in several
hours. Campbell instantly made a connection.
In January, 2005, Ford Motor Co. had begun a
recall of nearly 6-million cars, trucks, SUVs
and vans because of engine fires linked to faulty
cruise-control switches. More... |
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August 9, 2007 |
MSNBC.com, "Importer
recalls 255,000 Chinese-made tires; Defective
because lack a safety feature that prevents
tread separation" |
A
tire importer said Thursday it would recall 255,000
Chinese-made tires it claims were defective because
they lack a safety feature that prevents tread
separation. The recall involves half the number
of tires that the importer, Foreign Tire Sales
Inc., had identified in June as possibly posing
a risk. More... |
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August 7, 2007 |
My58.com, "1
Killed In I-5 Wreck Near Zamora; Many Others
Injured In Rollover Crash" |
One
person died and seven others were injured early
Tuesday when a Fresno-area family's sport utility
vehicle rolled over along Interstate 5 near the
Yolo County town of Zamora, the California Highway
Patrol said. Authorities said a Ford Expedition
carrying eight people crashed shortly before
1 a.m. More... |
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August 6, 2007 |
ConsumerAffairs.Com, "Flaming
Ford Scandal Disgraces Ford, Feds" |
Ford Stonewalls Its Devastated Customers;
NHTSA Fails In Its Mission to Protect the Public
With its latest recall,
the Ford Motor Co. has recalled almost 11 million cars and trucks since 2005
because of a clear danger that the vehicles could erupt in flames without warning.
But as the piecework recalls trickle out from the federal agency charged with
the responsibility of protecting consumers from faulty automotive products, Fords
keep burning, sometimes destroying homes and other vehicles while Ford denies
responsibility and tells its customers to call their insurance company. More... |
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August 3, 2007 |
MSNBC.com, "Ford recalls 3.6 million vehicles over switch; Cruise control in more than a dozen models from ’92 to ’04 linked to fires" |
Ford Motor Co. said Friday it is recalling 3.6 million passenger cars, trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans to address concerns about a cruise control switch that has led to previous recalls based on reports of fires. Ford said the recall covered more than a dozen vehicle models built from 1992-2004. The company said it was responding to concerns from owners about the safety of their cars and questions about the speed control deactivation switch in the vehicles that is powered at all times. More... |
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August 2, 2007 |
Crossville Chronicle, "ATV accident leaves child critical" |
A parent's worst nightmare came true Wednesday morning when a man traveling a rural Cumberland County road rounded a curve to find his son underneath an all-terrain vehicle in the roadway, according to witnesses and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. More... |
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August 1, 2007 |
Woodtv.com, "Four wheeler accident kills promising baseball player" |
An 18-year-old baseball player from Whitehall was killed in a four wheeler accident Friday night on Whitneyville road. More...
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July 30, 2007 |
Canada.com, "Rein in ATVs to reduce carnage, surgeon urges" |
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In the wake of the weekend death of a 13-year-old boy while driving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), an Edmonton spinal cord surgeon is renewing his call for a ban on people under the age of 16 driving quads and for the licensing of all quad drivers. More... |
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July 30, 2007 |
Edmonton
Sun (Canada), "Quad
rollover kills boy, 13" |
A
13-year-old Rimbey boy died in a quadding accident
Saturday afternoon about 60 km west of Rocky
Mountain House. Wyatt Lyal Bauer was driving
a Yamaha Rhino alone on a logging road in the
False Creek area, when he went down a steep hill
and lost control of the vehicle, which then landed
on him, Mounties said. More... |
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July 30, 2007 |
FayObserver.com (North
Carolina), "1
dead, 4 injured in van crash on I-40" |
A
single-vehicle accident on Interstate 40 left
one person dead in Sampson County on Sunday afternoon,
delaying traffic in the westbound lanes of the
interstate for nearly two hours. Killed was Jon
Trevor Butler, 28, of Cimmeron Drive Myrtle Beach,
S.C. The accident happened at 3:20 p.m. on I-40,
8 miles west of Faison around the 350-mile marker,
said Sgt. Joel Siles of the state Highway Patrol. More... |
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July 26, 2007 |
Law.com, "Florida
Jury Awards $6 Million to Man Injured in Ford
Van Rollover" |
After
a six-week product liability trial, a Broward
Circuit Court jury in Florida Wednesday awarded
$6 million to a 22-year-old man for injuries
he suffered five years ago in the rollover of
a 1993 Ford Aerostar van. It was a victory for
plaintiff Julian Felipe, who was temporarily
paralyzed after the accident. The jury found
that Ford Motor Co., the sole defendant in the
case, was negligent in putting the vehicle on
the market with a defect in the design and manufacture
of its roof structure that led to a roof collapse. More... |
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July 18, 2007 |
Times & Democrat (South
Carolina), "10-year-old
girl dies in collision" |
Authorities
say a 10-year-old Tennessee girl was wearing
her seat belt, but died Tuesday after being ejected
onto Interstate 26 from a van traveling to Georgia
for a softball tournament. Alexis James of Knoxville
died at the scene of a one-car crash at the 120
mile marker, according to Calhoun County Coroner
Donnie Porth. "(Investigators) think that
they had an extreme blowout," Porth said. "At
some point, she was ejected." More... |
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July 14, 2007 |
Waco Tribune-Herald, "Waco Jury awards $8 million verdict in suit over 2005 big rig smashup" |
A Waco jury on Friday handed down an $8 million verdict against Charles Lay, of Waco, and Kansas-based National Carriers Inc., for the 2005 wrongful death of 20-year-old Round Rock resident Ellen Esther Deunsing, killed when her car was hit from behind by an 18-wheeler driven by Lay on U.S. Interstate 35. Rob Ammons, the Houston-based lawyer representing Deunsing’s father, Ron Deunsing, said local attorney John Mabry, who assisted Ammons with the case, told him "this might be the largest verdict for compensatory damages in a death case for one claimant awarded in McLennan County." More... |
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June 26, 2007 |
LA Times, "Recall of Imported Tires is Sought" |
Federal regulators are asking the New Jersey company, Foreign Tire, to recall as many as 450,000 imported tires because the product was blamed for an accident that killed two people last year. More...
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June 6, 2007 |
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin,"Three Kids Injured in Yamaha Rhino ATV Accident" |
A crash involving youths on a Yamaha Rhino off-road vehicle resulted in three injuries, police said. More...
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June 5, 2007 |
Sacramento Bee, "Plaintiffs say Ford deceived auto buyers about Explorer safety" |
In a case that puts more than $2 billion in Ford Motor Co. profits at stake, plaintiffs' lawyers told a Sacramento judge Tuesday that the automaker deceived consumers by marketing its rollover-prone 1990s-era Explorers as safe replacements for family station wagons. Ford's lawyers countered that the Explorer was the safest vehicle in its class, with positive ratings from safety agencies and consumer magazines. More... |
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May 29, 2007 |
The Times (Shreveport), "Lake Charles Teen Dies in Yamaha Rhino ATV Accident" |
A 13-year-old Lake Charles girl died Sunday night in a Shreveport hospital following an ATV accident in south Sabine Parish, Deputy Coroner Ron Rivers said. More...
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May 22, 2007 |
MSNBC.com, "Blind
spots are a deadly flaw for most SUVs" |
How
many kids can sit behind an SUV without being
seen by the driver in the rearview mirrors? This
is not a trick question. In fact, knowing the
answer could save a child’s life. According
to the consumer group Kids and Cars, as many
as 62 children could be in that blind zone and
you’d never know it. And that’s a
huge problem. More... |
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May 19, 2007 |
Orlando Sentinel, "Victory Against Ford After Third Jury Trial in Seat Belt Defect Case; Jury awards Orange man $32.5M in '96 collision" |
A northwest Orange County man who suffered severe brain injuries in a 1996 car accident when a seat belt failed was awarded $32.5 million Thursday by a local jury. After a third trial in a long-disputed case, an Orange Circuit Court jury ruled that a restraint-system defect caused the head injury to Mark Force, now 38. It also ruled that Ford Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. -- which designed the seat-belt system for part-owner Ford -- were negligent for failing to warn consumers about the seat-belt defect in the 1993 Ford Escort driven by Force. More... |
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May 14, 2007 |
WBZ-TV.com, "Could Your Car Have a Dangerous Defect" |
Our I-Team has uncovered a serious gap in the system designed to notify you about life-threatening defects in your vehicle. More... |
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May 7, 2007 |
KUAM News, "Mitsubishi Montero Rollover Accident" |
A 25-year-old Dededo man was arrested in connection with a car crash that happened over the weekend on Route 3 in Dededo. More... |
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April 23, 2007 |
Montgomery Advertiser, "Wal-Mart to pay $4 million in tire suit" |
Wal-Mart will pay a $4 million judgment to Carolyn Thorne in a lawsuit stemming from a tire failure three years go that caused a wreck and left the local woman paralyzed from her injuries. Thorne was paralyzed in a one-vehicle accident on April 24, 2004, when the tread on the left rear tire of her Ford Expedition separated, causing the SUV to flip into the median on I-85. More... |
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April 20, 2007 |
Associated Press, "Alabama Jury returns $4 million verdict against Wal-Mart For Tire Shop Negligent Supervision | Tire Blowout | Explorer Rollover" |
A Montgomery woman who was paralyzed in a 2004 rollover crash that occurred when the tread on one of her SUV's tires separated has been awarded $4 million in a judgment against Wal-Mart, whose service center failed to spot the defective tire. Thorne was driving her Ford Expedition to a business seminar in La Grange, Ga. when the tire tread separated and caused her to lose control, Allen said. The SUV rolled over one time and the roof was crushed down to the steering wheel, he said. More... |
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April 19, 2007 |
Associated
Press, "Chevrolet
Blazer has highest driver death rate" |
General
Motors Corp. vehicles had the highest and lowest
driver death rates from 2002 through 2005, according
to a study being released Thursday by the insurance
industry. Two-door, two-wheel drive Chevrolet
Blazers built from 2001 to 2004 had the highest
rate of 232 driver deaths per million registered
vehicles during the four-year span, the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety found. By contrast,
the Chevrolet Astro minivan had the lowest rate
with only seven deaths per million registered
vehicles. It was followed by the Infiniti G35,
BMW 7 Series and the Toyota 4Runner. More... |
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April 10, 2007 |
Associated Press, "Ford recalls SUVs for brake trouble" |
500,000 Escapes from 2001-2004 linked to potential engine fire danger
Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it was recalling more than 500,000 Ford Escape sport utility vehicles after receiving reports of engine fires linked to corrosion on antilock brake connectors. Ford said the recall involved 444,880 Escapes from the 2001-2004 model years in the United States, and about 75,000 Escapes in Canada, Mexico and Europe. The recall does not affect hybrid versions of the SUV, the automaker said. More... |
March 21, 2007 |
Associated
Press, "Lawsuit
blames tire in Los Angeles freeway crash
that killed five" |
A
lawsuit claims a defective tire caused a pickup
truck crash on a Southern California freeway
that killed five family members. The suit, filed
Tuesday in federal court, accuses Continental
Tire North America Inc. of wrongful death, negligence,
product liability and breach of implied warranty.
It was filed on behalf of two women whose mother,
father and 4-year-old brother died in the March
15 crash. More... |
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March 17, 2007 |
The
St. Augustine Record, "St.
Johns County woman injured as 'parked' car
rolls" |
A
45-year-old St. Johns County woman is in Shands
Medical Center Jacksonville after a freak accident
Friday. Teresa Meador told St. Johns County Sheriff's
deputies she got out of her 2004 Ford Explorer
to check the mailbox at her home on South Bar-B-Ranch
Road shortly after noon Friday. The SUV began
backing up, catching her and dragging her underneath,
said Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Chuck Mulligan. More... |
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March 16, 2007 |
Los Angeles Times, "5 Killed in wreck on 10 Freeway in Ontario (California)" |
Investigators are trying to determine if a separated tire tread may have caused a pickup truck to veer out of control and slam into a tree Thursday morning on the shoulder of the 10 Freeway in Ontario, killing five family members, including two children. More... |
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March 9, 2007 |
Lawyers USA, "50M punitive award sidesteps High Court ruling" |
In the first major punitive damages award since the U.S. Supreme Court placed new limits on punitive damages earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury ordered DaimlerChrysler to pay $5.2 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitives to a man run over by his own truck. More... |
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March 9, 2007 |
Associated Press, "LA jury says DaimlerChrysler must pay $54 million in truck death" |
A jury found that DaimlerChrysler must pay about $54 million to the family of a longshoreman who was killed by a Dodge truck that backed over him at the Port of Los Angeles, attorneys said Friday. A Superior Court jury awarded damages to the family of Richard Mraz, 38, of San Pedro, in a negligence and product liability suit. More... |
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March 9, 2007 |
Long Beach Press Telegram, "$55.2M
award in port death; Jury finds DaimlerChrysler
negligent in alleged 'park-to-reverse' defect" |
The
family of a longshoreman who was run over by
a Dodge pickup at a container terminal in 2004
has been awarded $55.2 million by a jury who
found the truck mechanically defective. More... |
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March 9, 2007 |
Wire Services, "San
Pedro family verdict: $50 million; Punitive
award for a death blamed on a faulty vehicle
produced by DaimlerChrysler follows decision
granting compensatory damages" |
A
San Pedro woman and her three children were awarded
$50 million in punitive damages Wednesday in
a wrongful death suit against DaimlerChrysler
Corp. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found
that DaimlerChrysler knowingly and intentionally
failed to cure a defect that led to the May 1,
2004, death of 38-year-old Richard Mraz, according
to Robert J. Nelson, attorney for Mraz's widow,
Adriana Mraz. More... |
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March 9, 2007 |
Detroit
News, "DCX
loses suit in Dodge owner's death; L.A. jury
awards $55M to Dakota driver's wife, who
contends truck's defect killed husband" |
A
Los Angeles County jury Wednesday slapped DaimlerChrysler
AG with a $55 million verdict in a trial stemming
from the April 2004 death of a 38-year-old longshoreman
killed in an accident involving his 1992 Dodge
Dakota. More... |
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March 7, 2007 |
The Star, "Police couple die in collision blamed on blowout" |
A road accident has claimed the lives of two police officers and injured three other people. More... |
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March 7, 2007 |
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, "Woman killed, two injured in rollover car crash" |
A woman was killed and her husband and 5-month-old baby were injured Tuesday when they were thrown from their car in a rollover crash. More... |
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March 7, 2007 |
Press
Release: $54.4
Million Verdict Imposed Against DaimlerChrysler
Corporation For Failing To Fix Known Transmission "Park-to-Reverse" Defect
That Killed Young Father At San Pedro | Long
Beach Maritime Terminal |
Robert
J. Nelson, Scott P. Nealey, and Chuck Naylor,
counsel for Adriana Mraz and her three children
in a wrongful death action against DaimlerChrysler
Corporation, announced that a California-state
jury today returned a $54.4 million punitive
damages award against DaimlerChrysler for
knowing about and intentionally failing to cure
a defect in millions of its vehicles. On March
2, 2007, the same jury found DaimlerChrysler
liable for the death of Richard Mraz and returned
a verdict of $5.2 million in compensatory damages
for Mrs. Mraz and her children. More... |
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March 6, 2007 |
Detroit
News, "Texan's
death rekindles Ford switch issue; Family
of retiree files suit blaming component linked
with engine fires" |
Al
Gavegan Sr.'s death in a house fire last summer
left family and friends in San Antonio searching
for answers -- and they say the evidence leads
straight to Ford Motor Co. and a faulty electrical
switch. More... |
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March 5, 2007 |
Local 6, "Bikers Killed When Tire Blows" |
A husband and wife died after their motorcycle wrecked Sunday on Interstate 4 in what officials called a Bike Week related crash. More... |
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February 20, 2007 |
Calgary
Sun, "Death of girl called
tragic accident" [Automobile power window
dangers] |
Police
are calling the death of a two-year old girl
a tragic accident after she got her head caught
in the power window of a vehicle while her mother
was running an errand. The accident happened
after the mother stopped to run a quick errand
on the way to dropping her six-year-old son off
at school. She left her children in the vehicle
with the engine running. More... |
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February 20, 2007 |
Bloomberg
News, "Honeywell
loses seat belt verdict; Federal jury in
Texas awards $24 million to the family of
a teen who was killed in a crash" |
Honeywell
International Inc. was ordered by a Texas jury
to pay $24 million to the family of an 18-year-old
woman who was killed in a sport utility vehicle
rollover accident. More... |
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February 18, 2007 |
Newark Star-Ledger, "SUV Rollover caused by tire blowout" |
Two people were injured when their SUV struck a guardrail and rolled over twice on the Garden State Parkway yesterday, State Police said. More... |
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January 19, 2007 |
CBS 3 (Philadelphia), "SUV
dangers include 'frontovers'" |
A CBS 3 investigation
found a driving danger that has killed dozens
of children. You think you are doing everything
right to protect your family, but Investigative
Reporter Jim Osman shows how a New Jersey couple,
who also thought they had their two-year old
son safeguarded, ended up planning his funeral. More... |
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January 2, 2007 |
San Bernardino County Sun, "5-year-old killed in crash" |
A 5-year-old Las Vegas boy was killed in a rollover car crash triggered by a tire blow-out late Monday. More... |
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