Case 1
Bill was driving his Ford Explorer outside of Morgantown with his seat belt and shoulder harness properly engaged when he was forced to make an evasive maneuver, lost control of the Explorer, and rolled over. Even though he was wearing his safety belt at the time of the rollover, he suffered severe spinal and other injuries in the rollover, rendering him an incomplete quadriplegic. Suit was brought against Ford as a result of design defects in the Explorer which made the vehicle unstable and the roof prone to collapse. Bill received a confidential settlement from Ford.
Case 2
John was working on a clean up crew at a saw mill near Elkins, West Virginia. As a part of his work responsibilities, John was required to clean in and around a conveyor belt system which was not properly guarded, making the system dangerous, in violation of safety regulations and industry standards, and defective. He suffered serious injuries when his arm was pulled up to his shoulder into the rotating drum at the end of the conveyor belt. Suit was brought against the company that owned the saw mill for exposing John to unsafe work conditions. John received a $332,500 settlement from the company that owned the saw mill.