Posted on Sun, Aug. 06, 2006

Greenville jury awards $18 million in wreck case

Associated Press

GREENVILLE, S.C. - A Greenville jury awarded $18 million in a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co., saying the company had a defective speed-control system in a 1995 Ford Explorer that crashed in December 1999 killing one woman and paralyzing another.

Sonya Watson, who was 17 at the time of the crash, got $15 million. The jury awarded $3 million to the estate of Patricia Carter, who was killed in the crash on Interstate 385 in Laurens County.

"I don't think it will ever be a fair amount because I can't put a price on my legs," said Watson, who sat outside the courtroom in a motorized wheelchair. "Finally, I can get this behind me. I hope Ford has learned a lesson."

Watson's attorneys had argued that the SUV "took off" while she was driving down the interstate.

The lawsuits also had claimed Ford and TRW Vehicle Safety Systems had installed defective seat belts, but jurors rejected that argument.

In closing arguments, Ford attorney Alan Thomas said there was no credible physical evidence that Carter or Watson were wearing seat belts.

Adam Fox, an attorney for TRW, also said there was no evidence of defect in the seat belt and that it is the most widely used buckle in history and is still being produced today.

The jury said its award was for actual damages and did not award punitive damages.

Carter's father, Renard Simpson, wiped tears from his eyes in the court hallway after the verdict.

"I don't know how to feel right now," he said. "Right now, I'm just in a state of shock. I'm just glad for it to be over with."

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Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com