Deaths of 28 Mexicans Linked to Failed Tires

Twenty-eight Mexicans have died in car crashes blamed on the failure of Firestone tires fitted to sport-utility vehicles and light trucks, lawyers for victims’ families said. Rafael Alday, of the firm Servicios Legales Internacionales, said the defective tires had been linked to 30 accidents in Mexico in which another 32 people had been seriously hurt. The law firm is working with lawyers in the United States in cases involving the recalled tires, Firestone 15-inch ATX, ATX II and some Wilderness tires, the majority of which used by Ford Motor Co. on its popular Explorer sport-utility. This week U.S. regulators said the U.S. death toll from crashes blamed on the failure of Firestone tires had risen to 119. Firestone, a unit of Japan’s Bridgestone Corp. has announced a voluntary recall of the tires.

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