Ford Pays after Tragic Explorer Sport Trac Rollover

An Explorer Sport Trac was being operated by the man’s wife when it rolled over, coming to rest on its roof. The man was seated in the rear of the vehicle while the woman, a family friend, was seated in the front. Both were wearing their seat belts. The man was completely ejected from the vehicle, sustaining fatal injuries. The woman was partially ejected from the vehicle, her head making contact with the Sport Trac’s roof as it deformed downward. She sustained a traumatic brain injury that has left her unable to walk or talk.

Ammons claimed the vehicle was not crashworthy because its roof collapsed and its seat belts failed to couple the occupants to their seats. According to the lawsuit, these failures combined to rob these passengers of critically important occupant protection benefits and, instead, allowed for their partial or complete ejection. According to Ammons, as the Sport Trac’s weak roof crushes in rollovers, it introduces so much slack into the seat belts that they can no longer provide restraint and containment benefits to belted occupants. Ammons claims Ford knew the roof could easily collapse but ignored the advice of its own engineers to strengthen the Sport Trac’s roof structure.

The Ammons Law Firm is located in Houston, Texas and practices personal injury law, including cases involving: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, seatback defects, air bag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.