Man Awarded $151 Million in a Verdict Against Ford Motors
A jury awarded $151 million to Travaris Smith in a lawsuit against Ford Motors. The jury found the defendant, Ford Motors, responsible for the car accident that left Smith paralyzed for the rest of his life.
Smith was a passenger in a 1998 Explorer traveling through Dallas County, Alabama in August 2015. As the driver swerved to avoid hitting an animal in their path, he lost control of the vehicle. The Explorer rolled over twice, severely injuring Smith.
The vehicle landed right side up after rolling twice, and it was during that time when Smith was knocked unconscious. When the Explorer rolled, his spine was snapped with a heavy force, rendering the life-altering injury.
A statement issued by Smith’s attorneys said that they are representing the 24-year-old who is left unable to take care of himself in any way whatsoever. They added that the verdict represents justice for Travaris and his family.
Thanks to the verdict, Smith will now be able to access the care and basic necessities he needs to live as efficiently as possible for him.
Watch YouTube Video: Young Man Paralyzed in Ford Explorer Rollover Awarded $151 Million. This news clip from WSFA 12 reports on the Smith vs. Ford Motors personal injury case.
Ford Dismissed Design Engineers’ Suggestions on Safety
The law firm representing Smith sent out a press release which said the 1988 Explorer was at the center of two landmark safety recalls in the past because of the vehicle’s faulty design.
This Ford model consistently failed tests conducted by the Consumer Union due to its tendency to roll over. According to the release, Ford Motor’s engineers advised the company to change the design of the model, but their recommendations were continuously ignored by the company.
Smith’s attorneys said instead of altering the model’s design, Ford decided to discontinue the real-world testing and turned to computer-based option ADAMS. The law firm also said that the company destroyed the original input and output data gathered by the ADAMS testing, because, according to the company, the data has no scientific value and was too expensive to retain.
Ford’s Attempts to Mislead the Jury
One of Smith’s lawyers said that they have seen unethical and poor conduct before, but the appalling demeanor of Ford to mislead the jury was truly astounding. They noted that the multinational automaker giant claimed the ADAMS data – which would have proved the extent of the safety of Explorer – was destroyed because it had zero scientific value and was “too costly” to maintain.
It is notable that Smith’s attorneys proved to the jury that all the ADAMS data could have been easily stored on something as basic as a $100 thumb drive. The group also proved that instead of changing the Explorer’s design, as recommended by the engineers, Ford only changed the less expensive parts like tire sizes and air pressure.
Biggest Civil Verdict Ever in the Dallas County
After finding that the 1998 Ford Explorer failed to meet the company’s own safety regulations, the jury awarded Smith $100 million in punitive damages and the rest (approximately $51 million) in compensatory damages. According to court documents, as seen by Smith’s lawyers and Reuters, the jury also said that Ford acted without caution in designing the Explorer.
The famed automobile company said it plans to appeal. In a statement to Reuters, Monique Brentley, spokeswoman for Ford, said that company is sympathetic toward Travaris and his family, but they disagree with the jury’s decision. She said that a set of rulings by the Alabama Court prevented the company from presenting critical evidence at the trial, and that’s why they are preparing to appeal.
Ford also put out a statement saying they had redesigned the vehicle in question since 1998 and the allegations claiming they disregarded the safety guidelines are completely false.
Not Looking For a Settlement
Smith’s lawyers say that they fully expect the auto manufacturing company to appeal. However, according to the court records, Ford hasn’t filed an appeal yet, but they still have thirty days to do it.
The lawyers have made it clear that Smith is not looking for a settlement. It’s still not clear at this point how the appeals process will go since that could remain tied-up in the courts for months, if not years.
Meanwhile, Travaris Smith said that he would rather be walking but his choice was taken away from him, so this money would at least help him get somewhat back on track. He also said that he has accepted his “new” normal.
The trial lasted for ten days in the Dallas County with the jury supporting Smith and awarding him over $151 million in damages, which according to analysts, is the largest civil verdict in the history of the county.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento. If you have suffered personal injuries or if a loved one was killed in a car accident due to another driver’s or a third party’s fault, call me for free, friendly legal advice at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400.
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Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash
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