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Family Sues Ford Over Death of Three Daughters
October 25, 2005
A North Carolina family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ford Motor Company for defective limousine fuel tank design. All three of the plaintiff's daughters were riding home from a rock concert on September 10, 2003 in a Ford Town Car limousine. Stopped in traffic, the limo was struck from behind at 60 miles per hour by a drunk driver. The impact crushed the rear of the limousine, pieces of the rear axle punctured the fuel tank, and the vehicle caught fire. Trapped inside the vehicle, all three sisters died in this tragic Ford vehicle accident.
The Center for Auto Safety, a consumer advocacy group, says that nearly fifty people across the nation have died in similar accidents in the same line of Ford vehicles. The Panther line of Ford cars, introduced in the late 1970s, includes large sedan-type cars with rear-wheel drive. The Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and two makes of the Town Car (one of which is a stretch limousine) are included in the Panther line of Fords. The Crown Victoria is by far the most commonly used vehicle by police officers.
All these cars have the same rear internal design: the fuel tank is located in the rear, in what is called the "crush zone" because it is typically destroyed in a high-impact rear collision. The rear axle, with its sharp and protruding parts, is located very close to the fuel tank. When one of these Ford vehicles is struck from behind at high speeds, there is a high risk that the rear axle will puncture the fuel tank, at which point a fire is likely.
In 2002, Ford supplied fuel tank safety shields for all Crown Victoria police vehicles. Ford was forced to look at the fuel tank defect after several police officers were burned to death after their Crown Victoria was rear ended in the line of duty. The company began installing a $100 shield onto all police vehicles but did not add the shield to civilian cars with the same exact defect. This shield fits over the rear axle to cover its sharp pieces, reducing the risk that it will puncture the fuel tank in an accident. Installing these safety shields would have probably spared the lives of the three young girls killed in the Ford limousine and possibly the lives of others.
Last month, undoubtedly in response to this tragic wrongful death lawsuit, Ford sent a safety letter to all Ford limousine owners. This letter states: Due to the increased weight and stiffness of the Town Car stretch limousine, there is an increased chance the fuel tank may be punctured in a high speed/high energy rear collision. Ford has offered to supply a safety shield to limo owners. This offer has not been extended to the owners of other passenger vehicles with the same exact auto defect.
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