Early in June 2005, a man was driving his family along a highway in Mexico when his Ford F-150 Heritage was involved in a motor vehicle accident, crashing into the back of a tractor-trailer, resulting in a Ford Motor Company lawsuit. New York auto accident lawyers Levy Konigsberg LLP claim that although witnesses at the crash site were able to extract the man and one of his children from the vehicle, the man’s wife and other child were trapped in the rear passenger seats and perished after the Ford pickup truck caught on fire. After the motor vehicle accident, the man brought a lawsuit against Ford (Motor Company). He claimed that his 2004 F-150, Heritage edition, a pickup truck was defectively designed and deceptively marketed.
Levy Konigsberg LLP, who has extensive experience as auto accident lawyers in the New York and New Jersey areas, stresses that a lawsuit can be filed even if the accident is deemed the plaintiff’s fault: note that ‘fault’ for is not mentioned for this motor vehicle accident. Instead, the man’s automobile accident lawyers argued that the vehicle’s passenger compartment was defectively designed and was not crashworthy because it crumpled around its’ occupants, leaving them unable to escape. The New York auto accident lawyers elaborate on this matter, stating that the vehicle failed to protect its passengers during and after the motor vehicle accident because the 2004 F150 Heritage model featured an open-channel as opposed to a closed box design. They also argued that the brake fluid retention system was defective which caused the vehicle to catch on fire after being subjected to a frontal offset collision.
The motor vehicle accident attorneys stated in the lawsuit that Ford Motor Company had been aware of the F-150’s design flaws for years. Indeed, the Insurance Institute gave the Ford F-150 the lowest possible safety rating that a vehicle can receive after testing the 1997 through 2003 models in a number of frontal crash tests.
Although Ford redesigned the F-150, and this redesigned 2004 model garnered the highest safety ratings, they continued to sell models featuring the previous, defective design under the “Heritage” label. According to the man’s motor vehicle accident lawyers, Ford marketed the Heritage model as if it, too, had received the highest safety ratings.
The man settled with Ford for a confidential amount of money. Lawsuits against Ford Motor Company and other domestic and import car manufacturers require lawyers with expertise, diligence, and experience in dealing with expensive corporate litigation.
If you or a family member was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident involving what you believe was a defectively designed vehicle, you may wish to consult with a lawyer. The New Jersey and New York auto accident lawyers at Levy Konigsberg LLP offer experienced legal representation for people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents. For more information, please call (800) 315-3806.