Auto Accident, Workers’ Compensation, Product Liability Attorneys in Knoxville, Tennessee

Verdicts and Settlements

Auto Accident Lawyer Wins Car Accident Case in Tennessee

Ford Found Guilty

Driver Awarded $6.5 Million in Air Bag Injury

Margaret Cruze, a 78-year-old widow, has been awarded the sum of $6,565,864.84 for injuries sustained in a car accident in Eastern Tennessee, on October 22, 1996, when the air bag in her 1994 Ford Escort deployed late. The jury in Grainger County, Tennessee, assessed 90 percent of the fault against Ford Motor Company and 10 percent of the fault against Ms. Deborah Bowlin, the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident.

According to Sidney Gilreath, one of Mrs. Cruze's auto accident attorneys, this is the first time a jury in Tennessee has held a major automobile manufacturer responsible for injuries in car accidents involving air bags. His client was rendered quadriplegic from the accident.

After an 8-day trial, presided over by Judge Dale Young of Maryville, Tennessee, sitting by designation, the jury reached its unanimous verdict.

Additional news coverage:
The Oak Ridger newspaper article
Knoxville News-Sentinel newspaper article
Grainger County News newspaper article
National Law Journal article
USA Today article

For more information on air bag safety, see the following sites:
www.dot.gov/affairs/nht8196.htm
www.detnews.com/1997/autos/9712/26/12260129.htm

Court of Appeals Affirms $6.5 Million Verdict in Car Accident Injury in Tennessee

The Tennessee Court of Appeals affirmed a Grainger County jury award of $6,565,864.84 to Mrs. Margaret Cruze, a 78-year-old widow, for injuries she sustained in a car accident in Tennessee, on October 22, 1996. At trial, Mrs. Cruze alleged that the air bag in her 1994 Ford Escort deployed late, causing injuries that rendered her quadriplegic.

Defendant Ford Motor Company appealed the November 1998 verdict regarding Mrs. Cruze’s car accident in Tennessee. In the appeal, Ford alleged error in the jury instructions, the verdict form and in the judge's application of Tennessee Code Annotated § 29-28-104 relating to a presumption that the Ford Escort's restraint system was not unreasonably dangerous.

The parties reached a confidential settlement of the case just prior to the Court's decision. However, the Court's written opinion in favor of Mrs. Cruze was released before the case could be formally dismissed.

According to Mrs. Cruze's auto accident attorneys, Sidney Gilreath and Dianne Lashmit, this is the first time a jury in Tennessee has held a major automobile manufacturer responsible for an air bag injury. They believe this verdict, and the appellate court decision, will be important to others who may suffer catastrophic injuries due to air bag failures. They also hope that this case will urge auto manufacturers to design and test safer restraint systems for use in their products.

For more information regarding air bag, seatbelt, infant car seat cases and other litigation involving car accidents, please see our News page. Contact our auto accident attorneys at our Knoxville, or Memphis locations in Tennessee for help with car accidents, medical malpractice and more.

Disclaimer

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For driven auto accident attorneys in Tennessee, contact Gilreath & Associates at our offices in Knoxville, or Memphis. If you have been in a car accident in Tennessee or elsewhere, our determined lawyers will get you the compensation you deserve.

Office Locations:
Knoxville | Memphis | Nashville | Sevierville

Nationwide Toll Free Number: (866) 853-5320

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