California Injury Blog
The California auto defects lawyers of Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys have filed a product liability injury lawsuit against Ford Motor Corporation, Continental Tire Corporation, TRW Vehicle Safety Systems, Chino Hills Ford, and Beceril Tire Shop.
The product liability injury lawsuit stems from injuries sustained by Griselda Bernardino during an August 2007 rollover car crash. Griselda was driving a 2003 Ford Expedition SUV when the car’s left tire tread separated from the tire. This caused the Expedition to oversteer and eventually roll over. Griselda suffered severe and permanent spinal and head injuries while her passengers Ayari Martinez, Alonso Martinez, Diana and Bianca Orozco (both minors) and Maleni Elizardi (also a minor) were all seriously hurt.
“We’re alleging that the lateral instability of the Expedition made it highly unlikely that anyone but a professional driver would have been able to regain control of this SUV,” said John Bisnar of the Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys auto defects law firm. “We’re alleging the blame sits squarely on this SUV’s high center of gravity and narrow track width.”
Safety Features Missing
Sadly, the car crash could have been avoided if the Expedition had been equipped with Electronic Stability Control, which could have helped Griselda maintain control of the vehicle. Ford’s AdvanceTrac stability control system has been available as an option at a small additional cost. However, given the Expedition’s vulnerability to rollovers, the safety feature should have been installed as standard equipment and not merely offered as an option, Bisnar said.
In addition, the Expedition’s structure lacked the strength to withstand the SUV’s weight while inverted. This caused the roof crush to occur which severely injured the vehicle’s passengers. The Expedition’s restraint system was also defective and failed to adequately protect Griselda and her passengers from being ejected from the vehicle. Other auto defects found in the Expedition include lack of side airbags, defective tires and door latches, and unsafe side windows.
“It’s our belief that since 1970, the defendants knew that the use of tempered side and rear window glass was contributing to serious occupant ejection problems in side impact and rollover accidents,” Bisnar said.
“Again, despite the availability of simple methods to correct these auto defects, as recommended by defendants’ own automotive engineers, the defendants chose to ignore this inherent safety problem,” he added.
The California Auto Defects Lawyers Product Liability Case Against Ford is pending in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga District, case number CIVRS908505.