Lawsuit Claims Ford's Expedition SUV Has Faulty Roof that Collapses in Rollover

According to a Dec. 4 press release, the trial in the civil lawsuit on behalf of Gloria Levesque has begun in Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District, before the Honorable Ricardo Torres. The suit was filed on Nov. 8, 2005, and alleges that the defendant, Ford Motor Company, knowingly manufactured and sold its Expedition model SUV with a defective roof that collapses in rollover accidents. The lawsuit also alleges that Ford manipulates the general public into believing that large SUVs like their Expedition are safer than other vehicles, at the same time knowing their SUVs have one of the highest rates of rollover accidents resulting in serious injuries and deaths. The motive, the suit alleges, is Ford Motor Company's "financial interest."

In the July 25, 2003, accident that left Levesque disabled, she was a passenger in the Expedition. The vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 5 in Fresno County, Calif., when the driver swerved to avoid a collision with another vehicle. She lost control of the Expedition, which left the roadway, rolling several times. The roof of the Expedition collapsed during the rollover, leaving Levesque with severe head and spinal injuries. Levesque, a school teacher, was left unemployed, paralyzed and permanently disabled as a result of the rollover accident.

According to the SUV-Rollovers.com website, it's not unusual for the roofs of SUVs, trucks and vans to collapse in a rollover accident, leaving the vehicle occupants severely injured. The roofs collapse because the roof pillars, roof headers and supports are weak in comparison to the weight of the vehicle. More specifically, the roof of the Ford Expedition will crush from just the weight of the vehicle alone. Add to that a rollover at highway speeds, and the outcome will likely be catastrophic. When one of these vehicles rolls over, the roof supports collapse into the interior of the vehicle, striking the occupants with enough force to cause head and spinal cord injures and death.

The Resource 4 Accidents website says few SUVs meet the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration roof safety standards for automobiles. Despite the fact that more than 10,000 people are killed each year in SUV rollover accidents, many consumers believe they are more protected in a larger, heavier vehicle. Although that may be true in some crashes, when it comes to rollover accidents (the leading cause of death on America's highways), SUVs are among the worst in terms of safety.

Brian Chase is the plaintiff's leading attorney in the lawsuit. He said that "Ford's SUVs are not built strong enough to protect the front seat occupants from being catastrophically injured during a rollover. They know this and have for years. Unfortunately, Ford chose to ignore the inherent safety problems of the Expedition including the rollover propensity and insignificant roof strength." Chase claims that Ford "clearly put profit before people. This is another example of an automobile manufacturer profiting from the production of a vehicle known to have serious and life threatening defects. For only $30, Ford could have easily strengthened their SUV's roof structure to withstand these types of rollover roof failures. If Ford had chosen to do so, Gloria Levesque would be teaching at her Montessori school as she had for the past 25 years. Instead she is unemployed, permanently disabled, and catastrophically injured."

Levesque is seeking a judgment for past and future medical expenses, loss of earnings, and pain and suffering.

Sources:

Press release, "California Law Firm Alleges Ford SUV Defective;" http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/12/prweb573981.htm

SUV-Rollovers; http://www.suv-rollovers.com/rollover-roof-crush.cfm

Resource 4 Accidents; http://www.resource4accidents.com/topics/suvrollovers.html