Automobile Defect Cases

Tire Failure/Rollover

Hall v. Ford and Continental General Tire
Bell v. Ford and Continental Tire North America
Vanelli v. Ford and Continental General Tire
Rupp v. Ford and Continental General Tire
Garza v. Ford and Continental General Tire

Mr. Jones’ firm has represented the family members of several individuals who were killed or injured when their General tire tread separated and their Ford Bronco II rolled over. A nationwide investigation yielded evidence of 38 additional accidents with similar defective products. Mr. Jones’ firm was quoted by national news media including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post regarding evidence which the firm uncovered showing the tire company’s coverup of the defective tires not only from the public, but the federal government as well.

Significant confidential settlements were awarded to each of the firm’s clients.

Yabuku v. Bridgestone/Firestone

Italia Hines, an 11 year old passenger in a vehicle, was injured seriously when a Firestone (brand) tire, mounted on one of the vehicle’s rims, failed, due to tread separation. The driver lost control of the car, resulting in a vehicle rollover. Bridgestone/Firestone was sued by Mr. Jones’ firm for the tire separation defects. The case was settled and a significant award was obtained as repayment for Italia’s injuries suffered and to cover future needs.

Sport Utility Rollovers

Ford Bronco II

Goble v. Ford
Knight v. Ford
Brickey v. Ford

Mr. Jones has represented many individuals involved in Ford Bronco II rollover accidents. He is a leading plaintiffs’ attorney for Bronco II rollover litigation, achieving success in over 20 Ford Bronco II vehicle cases.

Watkins v. Ford

A Ford Bronco II case was brought on behalf of James and Belinda Watkins for the death of their son, Brian. The case ended up going before the Federal Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The firm presented evidence proving that Ford had prior knowledge of stability control problems with the Bronco II and did not change the design of the vehicle because that would have resulted in manufacturing delays or reduced profits. The court found that Ford had placed profit ahead of safety concerns and found Ford had little regard for property or life. After the Eleventh Circuit Court’s opinion, Ford settled the case and paid the Watkins a significant amount of money.

Ford Explorer

Bell v. Ford
Busbin v. Ford
Williams v. Ford

The firm has pursued Ford Explorer rollover cases as well. Occupants of these Explorers died or suffered major trauma after the driver lost control of the vehicle and rolled over due to defective design related to stability and handling control. The firm has sued Ford and has won cases for its clients and obtained substantial settlements in each case.

Ford Expedition

Amburgey v. Ford

Natalie and James Amburgey and their children were traveling in their Ford Expedition as it rolled over, seriously injuring each family member. The rollover was due to defective design of that model year Expedition. We sued Ford on behalf of our clients and obtained substantial settlements for the parents and their three daughters.

Isuzu Rodeo

Pompey v. Isuzu
Sherman v. Isuzu

In each of these cases, we represented the families of people who were killed when the Isuzu Rodeo they were riding in rolled over. Through aggressive discovery against Isuzu, we proved that the rollovers were caused by the defective design of the Rodeo. The families received sizable confidential settlements in each case.

Mitsubishi Montero

Bone v. Mitsubishi
Gordon v. Mitsubishi

Danelle Bone and Kathryn Gordon were both seriously injured when their defective Montero Sport SUVs rolled over. After thorough investigation of the Mitsubishi’s defective design and aggressive litigation by Mr. Jones’ firm, the cases were settled and the clients received significant confidential sums to compensate them for their injuries.

Roof Crush

Adcock v. Honda

In 1999 Mr. Larry Adcock’s Honda Civic CRX rolled over crushing the roof of his car onto his head leaving him a quadriplegic. Mr. Jones’ firm successfully showed that the roof had been improperly designed and tested by Honda rendering it too weak to withstand a vehicle rollover. The firm secured a substantial confidential settlement on behalf of Mr. Adcock.

Seatbelt and Airbag Defects

Markstein v. DaimlerChrysler, TRW, Honeywell, and Autoliv

Glenn Markstein died as a result of a collision while driving a convertible Chrysler LeBaron. The airbag in the LeBaron did not deploy, and Mr. Markstein’s head hit the header of the windshield when seatbelt failure did not keep him properly restrained. The firm discovered proof that the manufacturer of the car did not test the airbag sensors in proper fashion in collision situations such as that experienced by Mr. Markstein. During mediation proceedings, Mr. Jones negotiated substantial seettlement for the Markstein family.

Zaboli v. Mazda

Mrs. Zaboli was traveling at a moderate speed (20-25mph) when a subsequent accident left her paralyzed due to a poorly designed restraint system in her Mazda Protege. Her small stature meant that the shoulder belt crossed over her neck, rather than her shoulder. This design defect lead to severe injury. The firm was able to demonstrate that the restraint system design was flawed and did not meet the manufacturers own standards for seatbelt fit. Mr. Jones’ firm negotiated a substantial settlement that would ensure that the victim’s expenses be covered for life.

Millsapp v. Kia and TRW

Ms. Millsapp was wearing her seatbelt in her Kia Sephia as she drove home from work. Another car swerved in front of Ms. Millsapp causing a collision which deployed her airbag. Both the seatbelt and airbag were defective. The seat belt was constructed with 16 inches of extra webbing which allowed Ms. Millsapp to move too close to the steering wheel and deploying airbag. The defective airbag which was too large for the vehicle, forced Ms. Millsapp’s head to snap back leaving her a quadriplegic. Mr. Jones firm completed a full blown investigation which secured testimony from a former TRW (airbag manufacturer) engineer stating that the defective airbag was dangerous for drivers like Ms. Millsapp.

Door Latches

Thompson v. Chrysler

Jessica Thompson was a passenger in a car accident. She was in a Dodge Minivan in the rear seat. After impact, she was ejected out of the rear of the vehicle as a result of the spontaneous opening of the liftgate door. Jessica suffered severe brain trauma resulting in permanent brain injury. Painstaking discovery and expert witnesses proved that a defective latch in the liftgate door was responsible for the door’s opening and that the vehicle manufacturer knew of this defect and did nothing to correct the problem. In addition, Jessica would not have suffered a traumatic brain injury if she had not been ejected. Just prior to trial, Chrysler settled with the plaintiff for an amount that would guarantee 24/7 care for Jessica for the rest of her life.

Hart v. General Motors

Barry Hart was a passenger in a Chevy S-10 pickup truck that was struck by another vehicle. Mr. Hart was ejected from the truck and died. We represented Mr. Hart’s wife and proved that Mr. Hart was ejected due to a defective hinge on the door that allowed the door to come loose in the collision. Due to this evidence, GM paid Mrs. Hart a substantial confidential amount to settle her claims.