Accident Victim’s Children Sue Ford, Firestone

The children of an Arizona man killed when his Ford Explorer rolled over near Phoenix have filed a lawsuit in Orange County blaming the crash on faulty Firestone tires on his Ford Explorer.

Raymond Wesley Boone died May 22 when his 1996 Explorer flipped over on Interstate 10 in Maricopa County, Ariz.

According to the lawsuit, one of the tires on Boone’s Explorer separated because of faulty manufacturing, causing the vehicle to roll over. The lawsuit also accused Ford of ineffectively designing the Explorer so that it is prone to flip in emergencies, such as a high-speed tire blow-out.

Boone’s children, Jerry, Daniel, Kevin and Tracy, seek unspecified monetary damages from Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. One of the family’s attorneys, Timothy Ryan, said he filed the lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court because it is convenient to his Huntington Beach office.

The lawsuit follows the recall last month of 6.5 million Firestone tires, linked to dozens of accidents and deaths across the country.