| Firestone Tires
On August 9, 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. announced a recall
of nearly 7,000,000 Firestone ATX, Firestone ATX II, and Wilderness
AT tires linked to more than 200 deaths and 700 injuries in the
United States. Many of these deaths and injuries involved rollovers
of Ford Explorers, which used the recalled tires as standard equipment.
Firestone claims that the design of the Explorer is a factor in
the tire failures while Ford insists that the Explorer is safe and
the Firestone tires are to blame. Firestone insists that it identified
and remedied the problem with the recall last summer. However, the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") recently
completed a yearlong investigation into the safety and performance
of Firestone tires not included in the recall and now recommends
that Firestone recall additional tires. It appears that similar
design problems exist for other Firestone tires, including certain
steel belted small truck.
Over 200 cases filed in federal court were recently transferred
to the United States District Court for the Southern District of
Indiana before Judge Sarah Evans Baker for coordination of pretrial
proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1407. In a recent victory for
Firestone, on July 27, 2001, Judge Baker refused to grant an injunction
that would have expanded the recall by several million tires.
Firestone continues to battle both plaintiffs and Ford Motor Company.
However, it was recently reported that Firestone has now settled
roughly 40% of the claims against it with regard to the recalled
tires.
If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call Boller & Vaughan S.C. at (608) 268-0268 or submit
an online questionnaire. The initial consultation is free of charge, and
if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which
means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds.
In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date,
known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you
do not waive your right to possible compensation.
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