Victory for Family of Phoenix Police Detective Killed by F250’s Collapsing Roof

The Ammons Law Firm has successfully concluded a wrongful death case filed on behalf of the wife and children of a 36-year-old Arizona police detective who was killed when the roof of his 2001 Ford F250 collapsed over him in a rollover crash.

The officer was off duty and, along with his wife and daughter, was on his way to camp out with friends. As he operated the F250, the pickup and the trailer it was towing began to sway out of control and then jackknifed. The trailer collided with a guardrail while the F250 rolled over. The roof above the driver seat sustained excessive crush, fairly obliterating the occupant's survival space. Responders took this photograph after righting the pickup at the scene.

The investigating officer noted that the pickup had sustained severe rollover damage and “extreme intrusion into the passenger compartment specifically in the area of the driver's side.”

According to Ammons, the F250 was not crashworthy, meaning occupants of the vehicle were put at risk of suffering extra injuries unnecessarily in accidents. Ammons claimed the F250 has a weak roof incapable of withstanding the vehicle’s weight in a rollover crash. As a result, the detective struck his head on the intruding roof as it collapsed on him. The roof crush then caused the gentleman to be positioned in his seat belt in such a way that he was unable to breathe. He died at the scene of blunt impact to the head and postural asphyxia.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit included the man’s widow and daughter who were passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash, a well as a son who was not involved in the accident.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, vehicle rollovers, and workplace negligence.