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Ford to appeal $18-million judgment
Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will appeal an $18-million damage award from a Texas jury that found it liable for injuries the owner of a Ford F150 truck suffered in a rollover accident.
Attorneys for Mario Castro, who was paralyzed after his 1997 F150 SuperCab pickup went off the road and rolled over, said the ruling included $5 million in punitive damages against Ford for building the truck with a defective roof.
Castro had been drinking at the time of the August 2001 accident, according to Ford. Two passengers in the truck suffered minor injuries.
"We knew going into the case that our client would have some responsibility for the incident itself," Castro's attorney Mikal Watts said in a statement. "However, we knew that the terrible injuries he received were caused by the failure of the roof to protect him, and that's what the jury pinned on Ford."
Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes said there was no evidence the roof of the F150 was defective. Ford contended Castro's injuries were not caused by contact with the roof during the rollover.
Why do these cases even go to trial? I could see if it was an accident for any other reason than being drunk.
Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will appeal an $18-million damage award from a Texas jury that found it liable for injuries the owner of a Ford F150 truck suffered in a rollover accident.
Attorneys for Mario Castro, who was paralyzed after his 1997 F150 SuperCab pickup went off the road and rolled over, said the ruling included $5 million in punitive damages against Ford for building the truck with a defective roof.
Castro had been drinking at the time of the August 2001 accident, according to Ford. Two passengers in the truck suffered minor injuries.
"We knew going into the case that our client would have some responsibility for the incident itself," Castro's attorney Mikal Watts said in a statement. "However, we knew that the terrible injuries he received were caused by the failure of the roof to protect him, and that's what the jury pinned on Ford."
Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes said there was no evidence the roof of the F150 was defective. Ford contended Castro's injuries were not caused by contact with the roof during the rollover.
Why do these cases even go to trial? I could see if it was an accident for any other reason than being drunk.