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“I have been prosecuting serious injury and wrongful death cases against trucking companies, auto makers and tire manufacturers for more than 30 years. Our firm maintains this blog to share information and insight on transportation safety issues that continue to arise on our nation’s highways and roads.”

Ford and Cooper Tire Pay Survivors of Arizona Crash Victim


The Ammons Law Firm has resolved a product liability case with Ford and Cooper Tire agreeing to pay the surviving mother and child of a 36-year-old Arizona woman killed in the rollover of an Explorer after one of its rear tires came apart.

When the Trendsetter SE tire designed by Cooper Tire failed through tread separation as the 2001 Ford Explorer traveled at highway speeds, the SUV responded by skidding out of control. It left the roadway and rolled over.

“Tires should wear out, not fall apart in pieces,” says Ammons.

Rob Ammons claimed that the tire was built using materials that were not chemically fortified to resist premature breakdown, that the internal components of the tire did not properly bond to each other during the manufacturing process, and that Cooper Tire did not design the tire with durability components proven to reduce the risk of it coming apart while in service.

With respect to Ford, Ammons claimed that the Explorer was defective because its geometry and suspension cause it to handle poorly and become exceedingly difficult to control following disablement of a rear tire, making it highly prone to rolling over. According to Ammons, Ford has documented the phenomenon (referred to as “skate” or “rearend breakaway”) but dragged its feet in attempting to correct the problem. Additionally, the Explorer proved to be uncrashworthy in the rollover. The SUV’s roof collapsed and the victim’s seat belt unlatched during the crash sequence, the combination of which resulted in her being ejected from the Explorer and suffering her fatal injuries.

The Ammons Law Firm handles cases nationwide, including those involving tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, seat back defects, air bag defects, vehicle rollovers and workplace negligence.

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