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Attorneys of Record for
Taras Kick
C. Tab Turner
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SafetyForum: Attorneys Suing Ford JAN 8 -- Tab Turner and Mikal Watts, attorneys representing Ms. Donna Bailey, announced this morning that Donna Bailey's lawsuit against Ford Motor Company and Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. has been settled for an undisclosed amount of money coupled with a videotaped acceptance of responsibility and apology by three representatives of Ford Motor Company. Tab Turner, Safetyforum.com Attorney of Record for Tires and Vehicle Stability, has offices in Little Rock, Arkansas and Dallas, Texas. Mikal Watts, practices law in Corpus Christi, Texas. On the day of the crash, Bailey was headed for a rock-climbing trip with friends. The once-active mother of two is now paralyzed from the neck down. A quadriplegic, she uses a ventilator to breathe and a wheelchair to get around. The 43-year-old Texan has become a key figure in a tragedy that has captured the attention of the nation. Ms. Bailey is a ventilator dependent quadriplegic as a result of a rollover crash in a Ford Explorer. She was a seat-belted front seat passenger in the Explorer when the right rear tire tread separated. Ms. Bailey was crushed between the roof and the seat cushion during the rollover crash. Turner and Watts brought suit against both companies contending that the tire was defectively designed and manufactured and that the Ford Explorer was unreasonably dangerous due to the combination of its tendency to rollover and Ford's failure to provide a reasonable level of protection from roof crush during rollover crashes. The high profile lawsuit was pending before Judge Nanette Hassette in Corpus Christi, Texas. Jury selection was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 9, 2001. The lawsuit was being closely watched because it was one of the first court cases where the role of Ford's Explorer SUV was the focus of attention as a cause of the deaths and injuries associated with tread separation rollover events involving Firestone tires. Ford and Firestone have consistently disagreed on the issue of the role the design of the Explorer plays in causing tread failures, loss of control and rollover crashes following tire failures. Ford has labeled the Wilson-made Wilderness AT tires as "world class performers." The failed tire in this case was a non-recalled Wilderness AT tire made at Firestone's Wilson, North Carolina plant. Thus far, only Wilderness AT tires made at Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant have been recalled. Additional terms of the settlement included mandatory public disclosure by both Ford and Firestone of any additional information provided to the NHTSA and Congress as it relates to the Ford/Firestone recall investigation along with a requirement that both companies conduct physical inspections of all Explorers and all tires on any vehicles involved in tread separation rollover events in the possession of Mr. Turner and Mr. Watts.
Contact: (01/08/01)
Safetyforum.com and its Attorneys of Record for Tires, Tab Turner and Taras Kick, are non-managing sponsors of the Tire Action Group. Safetyforum.com, Mr. Turner, Mr. Kick or any of its officers and affiliates are not responsible and cannot be held liable for the accuracy, completeness, authenticity, distribution, harm and damages caused by the use of the information contained in this site. Conditions of Use. IMPORTANT: Persons and entities appearing on this site do not necessarily imply that Safetyforum.com endorses, sponsors, affiliates or associates with such persons or entities. Use of recognizable images such as trademarks are in compliance with sections 107 through 118 of the Copyright Act (title 17, U.S. Code) or "fair use" doctrine for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
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