Firestone, Ford Settle Injury Case
Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. have settled a lawsuit with a Texas woman left paralyzed after a tire-related crash of an Explorer last year, averting a courtroom drama that would have focused new attention on one of the nation’s most serious highway safety investigations.
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but sources close to the case said Ford and Firestone agreed to pay Donna Bailey, 44, between $20 million and $35 million. The trial judge in Corpus Christi, Texas, was told about the agreement Monday, the day before jury selection was scheduled to begin.
Hours before the settlement was announced, three senior Ford attorneys took the unusual step of visiting Bailey in her room at a Houston rehabilitation center. Firestone Chairman John T. Lampe sent Bailey a handwritten letter of sympathy.
Bailey’s attorneys said they are holding discussions with Firestone attorneys about expanding August’s recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires, because the tire involved in Bailey’s accident was not one of those recalled. Federal regulators are examining that issue as part of their investigation into the tire failures now linked to 148 deaths and more than 500 injuries. A Firestone spokeswoman denied that the tire maker is considering such a move.
In the last three weeks, Ford has been moving aggressively to settle many of the more than 200 lawsuits that have been filed against it and Firestone. Auto industry experts say Ford is trying to put the Firestone issue behind it, particularly as the company gears up to launch a redesigned Explorer, which has been the best-selling sport-utility vehicle since it was introduced in 1990.
Bailey, paralyzed from the neck down, now breathes through a ventilator and has needed round-the-clock care since the accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still investigating Firestone tires placed on SUVs. The initial recall was limited to all 15-inch ATX tires and 15-inch Wilderness tires made in Firestone’s Decatur, Ill., plant.
Consumer advocates have been calling for a wider recall to include all ATX and Wilderness tires. The tire involved in Bailey’s case was not subject to the recall because it was a Wilderness made in Wilson, N.C.
