Suit Filed Against Ford Motor Co. in Death of Fort Worth Police Officer

Attorneys from the Fort Worth, Texas, law close of Kobs, Haney & Hundley are announcement a accusation adjoin Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) on account of the ancestors of a Fort Worth badge administrator who was dead if the gas catchbasin on his Crown Victoria badge cruiser exploded.

Officer Dwayne Freeto died on Dec. 17, 2006, if his Crown Victoria Police Interceptor band car exploded in bonfire afterwards accepting rear-ended by addition car apprenticed by an bagged driver. The 34-year-old administrator had chock-full to abetment a abandoned motorist on Interstate 35 just south of city Fort Worth. Witnesses attempted to accomplishment Officer Freeto afterwards the access but were clumsy to ability him because of the acute fire.

Attorneys for the ancestors say that Ford admiral accept accepted about the Crown Victoria’s awry gas catchbasin architecture for years, but accept called to avoid the dangers.

“Our law administration admiral deserve safe vehicles,” says advocate Mark Haney, admonition for the Freeto family. “It is our achievement to get amends for the Freeto family, and to argue Ford to assuredly crop all-important accomplish to assure badge admiral and the accessible from what we accept is a deathtrap in rear-end collisions.”

Haney and his law accomplice Jeff Kobs filed the accusation bygone in Tarrant County’s 348th District Court on account of Officer Freeto’s widow, their two accessory daughters, and the officer’s parents. The accusation aswell includes claims of apathy adjoin the disciplinarian who addled Officer Freeto’s vehicle. Earlier this year, a Fort Worth board begin the driver, Samuel Lee Hilburn, accusable of beatitude assassination and bedevilled him to 13 years in prison.

Following the baleful crash, the Texas Legislature anesthetized a law that allows sentences of up to activity in bastille for bashed drivers bedevilled of killing badge officers, firefighters or added emergency personnel. The law is called for Officer Freeto and Darren Medlin, a Grapevine, Texas, badge administrator dead in 2004 by a bashed driver. Officer Freeto was a U.S. Army adept who had served with the Fort Worth Police Department for alone nine months afore his death.

The Freeto family’s clothing is one of abundant claims above the United States involving badge and noncombatant bake injuries and deaths angry to Ford’s Crown Victoria/Panther Platform band of cars afterward rear-end collisions. Numerous studies appearance that the gas catchbasin in these models is ailing amid and can be readily punctured in rear-end collisions.

According to the Center for Auto Safety, back 1992, added than 100 humans accept died in fires afterward rear-end collisions involving Ford Crown Victorias, including added than 30 badge officers. Despite the fatalities, Ford has maintained that its architecture is safe. An estimated 5 actor caught Crown Victorias, Lincoln Town Cars and Grand Marquis models abide in use by noncombatant motorists.

For added advice about the litigation, amuse acquaintance Barry Pound at Androvett Legal Media & Marketing at 214-559-4630 or 800-559-4534, or Mark Haney at Kobs Haney & Hundley at 817-332-5956.