By Amanda Bronstad
Read the full article here https://www.nationallawjournal.com/home/id=1202733451629/Plaintiffs-Lawyers-Plan-Their-Moves-After-Fiat-Chrysler-Fine?mcode=1202615432992&curindex=0&slreturn=20150631002417
Todd Tracy of The Tracy Firm in Dallas said he is taking a second look at the five cases he settled on behalf of victims who died or were injured in Dodge Ram pickups. Chrysler has agreed to buy back 200,000 Dodge SUV and Ram pickup trucks with defective suspensions that could cause drivers to lose control.
“Buybacks just don’t happen. This is almost unheard of,” he said.
Far greater reports of crashes and injuries involved defective fuel tanks on certain Jeeps, said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, who testified at a hearing before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on July 2 about Chrysler’s recall problems. Although its recall was for more than 1.5 million Jeeps, including Grand Cherokees made from 1993 to 1998, Chrysler has agreed to provide a $100 gift card to owners of newer model years to get a trailer hitch installed for additional safety in the event of a rear-end collision.
On April 2, a jury in Bainbridge, Georgia, awarded $150 million to the parents of a 4-year-old boy who died after the fuel tank of the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee he was riding in leaked after an accident, engulfing him in flames. A judge has since reduced the award to $40 million.
Ditlow said 44 similar cases had ended in confidential settlements prior to that trial.
“For Jeeps, Chrysler is going to see a continuing string of product liability lawsuits as serious fire crashes occur,” Ditlow said.
Contact Amanda Bronstad at abronstad@alm.com.
Vehicle Safety Attorney, E. Todd Tracy has tried many cases against auto makers and the component parts makers like GMC, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Honda, Mitsubishi, Ferrari, TRW, Key Safety, Allied Signal, Breed, Takata, JCI, and Dorel Juvenile Group.
The Tracy Firm have been holding auto makers and parts manufacturers like Fiat Chrysler, liable and accountable for the negligence in manufacturing defective vehicle parts. We specialize only in handling vehicle safety defect cases causing serious personal injuries for more than 2 decades and all across the United States. You cancontact our law office at 214-324-9000.
Source: The National Law Journal, E. Todd Tracy | NLJ Publication: July 29, 2015
