A Florida jury ruled unanimously in favor of Michelin North America and Takata in a highly publicized product liability matter against claims filed by three plaintiffs who were involved in a 2009 rollover accident caused by tread belt separation. The crash resulted in catastrophic brain injuries to two unbelted passengers, ages 14 and 16, and injuries to the adult driver.
In their closing arguments, the losing plaintiffs’ lawyers, the Florida personal injury firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, asked the jury to award the victims more than $80 million in damages.
A tire tread belt separation at the rear of a 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer resulted in a spin into the center median of Interstate 95. The Trailblazer then rolled several times, ejecting Ellis and Kiara Dukes from the backseat. Again, they were not using safety belts. The tire was apparently bought used eight years before the tread belt separation.
The two-month long trial took place before St. Lucie Circuit Court Judge Janet Carney Croom. The case was Dukes v. Michelin North America, Inc., et al. (No. 56-2012-CA-002094 and No. 56-2013-CA-001009 (Consolidated Actions), 19th Circuit Court, St. Lucie County, Fla.). Takata, of course, is a defendant a class action lawsuit in Florida after the largest and ongoing automotive recall in history for defective airbag inflators.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
