Product Liability Law
$6 Million Rollover Verdict
Posted Jul 26, 2007, 07:28 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Florida jury has awarded $6 million to a man injured in a rollover of a 1993 Ford Aerostar van.
The jury found that the van’s roof was defectively designed, causing it to collapse in the accident five years ago, the Daily Business Review reports. Plaintiff Julian Felipe suffered a broken neck in the mishap and now walks with a leg brace and cane.
Felipe’s lawyer, Ervin Gonzalez of Coral Gables, said in a news release that the roof problem could have been fixed at a cost of only $25 a vehicle. "But Ford figures that it is cheaper to litigate than to mitigate,” he said.
Ford says it will appeal, the Miami Herald reports. “There was no credible evidence introduced at trial to support a jury finding that a vehicle defect caused Mr. Felipe's injury,'' said Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley.