SUV rollover accident ends in $61 million settlement

By Megan Conley

The Ford Motor Company has been ordered by a Florida jury to pay $61 million to the family of a young boy killed in a rollover accident in 1997.  Although Ford does plan to appeal the ruling this is a major hit for the Ford Explorer which has come under criticism in the past due to roll-over accidents.  In states such as Texas, where so many people drive SUV’s for farming, weather related and even routine reasons these rollover incidents occur frequently and usually end in catastrophe.  When asked about the high number of rollover accidents, especially in his state of Texas, attorney Jim Adler said, “Let’s hope that the days of SUV rollovers will soon end as manufacturers strive to make these very popular vehicles safer.”

According to various reports, the accident, which left Lance Crossman Hall dead, occurred when the driver of the Ford SUV fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of the vehicle.  The Ford Explorer is supposed to have been designed to slide in a situation such as this instead of rolling, crushing or ejecting its passengers, as happened here.  Ford claims that internal safety tests prove that the Ford Explorer is a consistently safe vehicle, however tragedies such as this seem to show the vehicles tend to have handling problems.

 

 

 

After several years of legal dealings the jury has finally awarded the family of Lance Crossman Hall $1.2 million in damages and another $60 million for pain and suffering.  It seems that a hefty settlement such as this would force auto makers to make huge efforts to ensure that all SUV’s are safe from roll over accidents or include other safety features to keep drivers and passengers safe it the car does happen to roll.

 

Injured Texans have turned to Jim S. Adler & Associates for over 30 years.  With offices in Houston (principal office), Dallas, Channelview, and San Antonio, Texas, the Jim Adler legal team of lawyers and over 120 legal support staff (many bilingual) fights for the best interests of its clients in the civil justice system.  Through negotiated settlements or trial, the Jim S. Adler & Associates legal team works zealously to achieve the fairness and justice that its clients deserve.  Jim S. Adler & Associates are your Texas Injury Lawyers.

 

JUSTICE         PROFESSIONALISM            INTEGRITY

 

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