The family of Rusty Lamont Hendriks is suing Ford for Texas products liability
and wrongful death. The Hendriks claim that the auto manufacturer made
a defective jack, which is why the family’s Ford Freestar minivan
fell on him.
Hendriks suffered fatal injuries on March 7 while trying to repair the
Ford vehicle. He used the scissors jack, which was designed, made, and
marketed for the van. According to his family’s Texas wrongful death
lawsuit, he placed the jack where the vehicle manual had designated that
it should go but that the repair device still failed, causing the van
to land on him.
The plaintiffs are accusing Ford of products liability negligence, design
defect, manufacturing defect, marketing flaws, breach of implied warranty
of merchantability, and misrepresentation. They say that Ford Motor Company
had received other complaints about the scissors jack, which is too short,
not well constructed, and unable to lift the weight of the vehicles that
they are made for. They want damages for Hendriks’s wrongful death,
physical impairment, mental anguish, severe pain, medical costs, and burial
and funeral bills. They also want damages for their humiliation, disfigurement,
pain and suffering, income loss, mental anguish, and loss of consortium.
Auto manufacturers must make sure that all the parts that they make for
their vehicles are free from any defects that could cause serious injuries
or death. This includes not just auto parts but tools such as a scissors
jack that a car owner is supposed to use when needing to raise the vehicle
from the ground to make repairs.
Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Ford for defective jack after man
crushed by van, Setexasrecord.com, June 6, 2011
There is a lot that goes into proving liability in an auto defect case and you want to make sure that you are represented by an auto product liability law firm that is familiar with the intricacies of the type of case that you have and isn’t afraid to pursue an auto manufacturer for damages.
.jpg)
