Florida Court Allows Injured Drunk Driver’s Case Against Ford to Continue

Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled that a personal injury products liability case against Ford Motor Company, in which a drunk driver caused a single car accident and suffered catastrophic personal injuries may continue. The injured motorist claimed that she suffered personal injuries because Ford negligently designed the suspension and roof supports in a 1999 Ford Explorer.

The Court held that if someone is injured due to a car’s mechanical defect, that Florida’s strict liability standard in product liability cases should hold the manufacturer responsible even if the defect which caused the injury was not the cause of the crash. The Court reasoned that a manufacturer’s responsibility should also include cases where a crash is not caused by a structural defect; stating that how a crash occurs, and the mechanism of injury, are inseparable and should be considered a single incident. And, because such car accidents and personal injuries are foreseeable, the vehicle manufacturer must assume those risks.

Having helped seriously injured victims of dangerous products across the State of Florida for more than twenty years we agree with the Court’s reasoning and hope that all manufacturers understand the necessity in making their products less dangerous and crash-worthy.