Ford Wins Jury Verdict in Virginia Lawsuit

A Virginia jury said Ford Motor Co. wasn’t responsible for injuries suffered by a 74-year-old woman who claimed her Lincoln Town Car accelerated on its own and crashed into a light pole.

Margaret Jones said a defect in the 1991 Town Car’s electric system caused the cruise control to push down the throttle as she shifted from park to reverse at a gas station. Jones, who was paralyzed from the chest down in the February 1998 accident, asked the jury for $5 million in medical and care costs.

The Alexandria, Va., jury agreed with Ford’s arguments that there was no defect and that the accident was caused by driver error.

* General Motors Corp. plans to lay off the remaining 950 production workers in February at a Linden, N.J., factory that builds two sport utility vehicles that are being phased out.