Family Sues Ford for Defective Design of Crown Victoria Gas Tanks
A family in Fort Worth, Texas, has filed a product liability lawsuit against Ford Motor Company in connection with a Ford Crown Victoria accident that killed a police officer in December 2006. Officer Dwayne Freeto, 34, was killed when his police squad car exploded and burst into flames on Interstate 35 in Fort Worth. The explosion occurred after he was rear-ended by a drunk driver. The family’s lawsuit is alleging that Ford was negligent in its design of the Crown Victoria gas tank. Our source for this blog was a CBS News report.
The lawsuit also alleges that Ford has been aware of the defective gas tank design in the Crown Victoria for years, but has done nothing to rectify it or make it safer for consumers. Apparently, this lawsuit is one of many across the Unites States claiming a faulty design in Crown Victoria cars. According to the Center for Auto Safety, since 1992 more than 100 people have been killed in rear-end collisions involving a Crown Victoria. More than 30 of these casualties included police officers.
But then, of course, numbers, statistics and facts have never mattered to Ford officials.
They continue to maintain that “the design of the Crown Victoria is safe.” Crown Victoria models have, however, had other problems that warranted recalls. In 2005, Ford recalled 109,664 2003-05 model Crown Victoria police cars because of a possibility of cracks developing in their steel wheels. This defect could cause rapid air loss in tires during a high-speed pursuit. A 2006 recall involved defective fuel filters that posed a fire hazard.
The main purpose of product liability lawsuits is to hold manufacturers of dangerous and defective products responsible for not only manufacturing those products, but for not correcting the problem even after it was brought to their attention. Ford Motor Company has had a history of such behavior. One example of it that our firm witnesses frequently is their indifference to roof strength issues in their sport utility vehicles.
Their SUV models such as the Explorer, Excursion and Expedition have such weak roofs that they cannot withstand the impact of a rollover crash. Occupants of these vehicles have suffered catastrophic injuries in SUV rollover accidents. I offer my condolences to the Freeto family for their tragic loss. I hope they get the justice and compensation that they absolutely deserve and that Ford is held accountable for their wrongdoing.
