Ford Settles Lawsuit Over Pickup Accident

Ford Motor Co. settled a South Carolina lawsuit that claimed a faulty door handle allowed a 17-year-old boy to be thrown from a Ford-150 truck during an accident.

Zachary Strickland, now 25, was left a quadriplegic in 1997 when he was ejected after the pickup was struck in the side by another truck, the lawsuit claimed. His family said the passenger door came open because of a defective spring on the door latch. The settlement for an undisclosed amount came in the third week of a federal court trial in Florence, S.C.

Ford said there was nothing wrong with the handle. Spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes said the trial judge ruled that the door handle met federal safety standards.

Ford shares rose 30 cents to $11.29 on the NYSE.