Jury Finds for Ford in Explorer Trial

Ford Motor Co. is not liable for a rollover accident that killed a school administrator riding in an Explorer sport utility vehicle, a jury in Hackensack, N.J., ruled.

Cheryl Metrey, 54, died after her husband lost control of their Ford Explorer vehicle on Interstate 81 near Johnson City, Tenn., in May 2000. Metrey’s family alleged that the vehicle’s design made it unstable and prone to flipping, said their attorney, Edgar Heiskell. The suit doesn’t involve Firestone tires, he said.

Ford, which has been sued hundreds of times for alleged Explorer defects, has never lost a jury verdict on the design issue and has now won nine such trials, a spokeswoman said. Ford, which settles many of the cases out of court, blamed the driver, George Metrey, who sued over the death of his wife.