Georgia Supreme Court Upholds $13 Million Verdict Against Ford
It’;s been seven years of legal haggling since a Clarke County, Georgia woman burned to death in her car following a rear collision. Last Friday, the Georgia Supreme Court finally ruled in her family’;s favor putting an end to stalling by the automaker.
Anne Marie Gibson died in her 1985 Mercury Grand Marquis when she was slammed by a Toyota truck. The bolts from the trailer hitch on her car gouged into the car’;s rear-mounted gas tank. The vehicle and gas tank burst into flames, the passenger doors jammed and her seat dropped her back into the flames. She was then hit again when forced into oncoming traffic. A jury awarded her family $13 million.
Ford had filed an appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court contesting a ruling by a state court judge it said was punishing the company for refusing to turn over internal company documents about crash tests it called confidential attorney-client communication.
Judge Kent Lawrence ruled that the jury should consider that an admission that the fuel tank placement was defectively designed.
The attorney for the family says at least 50 other people have also been killed or burned from the Fords with rear-mounted gas tanks.
Farah & Farah knows that auto accidents can wreak havoc on the lives of victims and also the lives of their family members. For this reason, the car accident attorneys at our Jacksonville, Florida firm are committed to offering the kind of invaluable legal assistance and guidance that puts families on the path to recovery.
If you would like to speak with one of our auto accident attorneys, contact Farah & Farah in Jacksonville, Florida today.
