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Case Notes

By ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |
October 29, 2007

Paralyzed Driver Awarded $10.3M

A woman who was rendered a quadriplegic when her Ford Explorer seatback collapsed in a rear-end collision was awarded $10.3 million. Grimes v. Ford Motor Company, No. 02-08749AF, Palm Beach County Circuit Court, 15th, FL, June 8, 2007.

Donna Grimes, who is in her 60s, broke her neck and is left with only slight use of one of her hands. Plaintiff's counsel argued that the seatback should not have collapsed backward, which caused her to be thrown into the backseat, where her head struck the rear seatback. The 2000 Explorer's seatback lacked the proper strength and design, which can be found in other Ford models, to prevent it from collapsing, her lawyers argued. Ford's attorneys argued that the collapsing seat was actually a planned safety mechanism. Her husband received $1 million of the award.

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