— A Colorado woman has been awarded nearly $57 million after she said her leg was badly broken because a 1998 Ford Expedition was defective.
The original Ford lawsuit was filed in December 2018 and was completely dismissed by the court in September 2019, but the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice.
This allowed the plaintiff to take further actions with the lawsuit.
According to the Ford lawsuit, plaintiff Lorelle Thompson drove her 1998 Ford Expedition to her community mailbox on December 27, 2016. Thompson says she thought she shifted the vehicle into PARK, and she left the engine running. She opened the Expedition door and stepped out of the vehicle.
The lawsuit notes the "street in the area of her mailbox was flat."
"When she stepped onto the ground, she slipped and fell on her back, with her left leg positioned behind the Vehicle's front left wheel. The Vehicle then unexpectedly self-shifted into powered reverse and began to roll backwards. The Vehicle rolled over Plaintiff's left leg, resulting in fractures to her tibia and fibula." — Lorelle Thompson v. Ford
The plaintiff says her leg was broken by a "park-to-reverse" defect.
"A 'park-to-reverse' defect can exist in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission when there is inadequate mechanical force (“detenting force”) to ensure that a vehicle always defaults into an intended gear position (such as park or reverse) when an operator inadvertently does not fully shift into the very center of the intended gear position." — Lorelle Thompson v. Ford
The lawsuit alleges Ford "committed fraud, and has gone to great lengths to hide the truth, knowing that its fraud would kill or injure thousands of Americans."
The jury blamed Ford 100% for Thompson's injuries.
The Ford Expedition lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado: Lorelle Thompson v. Ford Motor Company.