CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : CARLSBAD : Ford Settles Suit Over Rear Restraints

Ford Motor Co. is paying $6 million to settle a lawsuit that partially blamed the auto giant’s failure to offer rear shoulder harness restraints for the traffic accident death of a child and crippling injuries to his surviving twin. The settlement is the largest paid in a case involving the lack of rear shoulder harnesses, San Diego attorney Craig McClellan said. He negotiated the settlement on behalf of the twins’ parents, Jim and Patricia Miller, who also survived the Nov. 13, 1988, accident. Dozens of similar suits filed throughout the nation are pending against Ford and other auto makers. Under federal regulations, combination lap and shoulder safety harnesses in the rear are mandatory for all passenger cars as of the 1990 model year. In 1992, the requirement will be expanded to include minivans. Ford admitted no liability in the settlement.