Re: Tara Howell Parker/Ford lawsuit settled


"Carey Akin" <cmakin@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:GvSzf.275471$qk4.50193@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Alan Jones" <alan@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:6jsvs1tfju70t574jsu0e7b8ebvh5upirt@xxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > NC family reaches settlement with Ford over limo deaths
> > Associated Press
> >
> > WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A family has settled its lawsuit against Ford
> > Motor Co. stemming from a rear-end collision where a limousine erupted
> > into flames, killing the wife of a former NASCAR crew chief and her two
> > sisters, lawyers for both sides said Wednesday.
> >
> > Neither side would disclose terms ending a wrongful-death lawsuit over
> > the safety of the fuel-tank system in Lincoln Town Car limousines, which
> > are manufactured by Ford. The three women were stopped in traffic on
> > Interstate 40 in Greensboro on Sept. 10, 2003, after attending a
> > concert. A pickup truck driven by Jeffrey Niles McFayden rammed into
> > the back of their limousine, which exploded almost immediately and
> > trapped them inside.
> >
> > Tara Howell Parker, 29, her stepsister Mysti Howell Poplin, 24, and her
> > half sister Megan Elizabeth Howell, 16, died of smoke inhalation and
> > burns suffered in the fire. Parker was the wife of NASCAR driver Dale
> > Jarrett's former crew chief.
> >
> > Brenda and Ricky Howell, the women's parents, alleged in their lawsuit
> > that the Lincoln Town Car was defective because the fuel tank was
> > behind the rear axle, which increased the risk of fire in rear-end
> > collisions. They said Ford could have fixed the problem by distributing
> > a safety shield to protect the fuel tank.
> >
> > McFayden was convicted in May of three counts of involuntary
> > manslaughter. Ford spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes blamed the deaths
> > on the driver, who collided with the limo at 60 mph.
> >
> > "Unfortunately, there is no vehicle on the road that can adequately
> > protect people in such collisions," Vokes said. "We do not believe any
> > other comparable vehicles' fuel tanks could have survived the severity
> > of this impact."
> >
> I guess we know where those old Fiero fuel tanks ended up.
>
>

LOL!

Nah, the Crown Vic/Mercury Marquis/Town Car fuel tank issue is a known one.
Do a search on "CVPI" (aka Crown Victoria Police Interceptor) sometime and
look at the sites setup by various cops/police organizations, about their
Crown Vic patrol cars, and the number of fatal and near fatal explosive
wrecks that happen each year when they're rear-ended while sitting by the
road (writing tickets, or whatever). The gas tank is located too far back,
and even when their "Police Update Shields" are installed on them, they
still have a tendency to rupture, and obviously, burn/explode. There's been
a decent number of cops burned or killed due to this fault over the years,
and Ford admits no fault, and doesn't even supply all the safety shields
needed to retrofit all the police cars, much less cars in the civilian
sector.

This is one of the (many) reasons NC recently passed a "move over" law,
where one has to slow down and change lanes (where possible) when
approaching an emergency vehicle that is on the roadside, with its lights
going. They got tired of cars getting rear-ended and cops sideswiped by
idiots who drive in the direction that they're rubbernecking. In the cases
of rear end collisions, several NCSHP CVPIs have lit off like roman candles.
The NCSHP has since stopped buying those Ferd cars, and are instead now
putting the mid-size Impala Chevy through its paces as a cruiser. I am
assuming this move is or will become more widespread (see them in local law
office lots a lot now too) since they're finally offering a V8 in the 2006
SS versions of the Impala and cops are coming out on their own to show
Ford's shortfalls with the Crown Vic, and their (Ford's) attempts to keep
the info from getting out to the public over the past decade. Apparently,
since these aren't Explorers rolling over due to tire issues (which managed
great press), it hasn't seen true "public coverage" at all AFAIK. You have
to dig around onthe internet to find anything out about it....where're the
TV networks and Ralph Nadar when you "really" need them? ;-p


.

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