Florida Jury Awards Woman $10.3 Million after Ford Explorer Accident

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June 1st, 2007

"Defective Ford Explorer Car Seat Causes Woman's Injury"

Donna Grimes was driving her Ford Explorer that day in 2001, waiting to make a left turn on a street in Deerfield Beach, Florida. A man driving a Toyota Solara plowed into the back of her car at 60 mph, and as her car seat collapsed, she was catapulted backward, not forward. Her head slammed into the back seat of the Explorer, breaking her neck.

Grimes was left a quadriplegic — without the use of her arms and legs.

Design Flaws in the Car's Driver Seat

She and her husband Richard, residents of Boca Raton, sued the other driver and the maker of her Explorer, Ford Motor Company, contending that design flaws in the driver's seat of the Explorer were the cause of her broken neck. Yesterday, a Palm Beach County, Florida jury agreed with that allegation, awarding Grimes $10.37 million dollars, most of it to go toward her extensive medical needs.

The jury's decision followed a month-long trial in which Ford attorneys and experts attempted to prove that there was nothing wrong with the design of the car's seat, and that it simply yielded to the force of the crash. Ford and other car makers have been hit with dozens of lawsuits in past years based on flaws in car seat design and other defects in vehicles.

Stronger Government Oversight Sought

The Grimes' attorney, James Lowe, noted that ‘The problem is the federal government doesn't require strong seats and until they do, the Ford Motor Company will make weak, ineffective seats." The Ford Motor Company has said it will appeal the jury's decision.

And the driver of the Toyota Solara? Originally named as a co-defendant with Ford, dentist Charles Kravitz was unharmed in the collision; he later disappeared and was dropped from the lawsuit.

(Source: Palm Beach Post)

Have you been the victim of a defective vehicle design? Contact a product liability attorney today to discuss your legal rights.