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Date: 11-13-1996

Case Style: Wasilik v. Rehert, et al.

Case Number: 95264025-CL202371

Judge: Clifton Gondy, Jr.

Court: Circuit Court of Baltimore City, Maryland

Plaintiff's Attorney: Robert L. Langdon and Bradley D. Kuhlman, Lexington, Missouri and Deborah L. Potter, Annapolis, Maryland.

Defendant's Attorney: Dean Pappas, Louis Carrico, Ronald Cherry, Baltimore, Maryland and Grace den Hartog, Wiliam King and Joseph Reid, Richmond, Virginia.

Description: Automobile accident - products liability - Plaintiff was driving a 1987 Ford F150 pickup which was hit by another car which crossed the centerline and hit Plaintiff truck. The truck caught fire and Plaintiff was unable to get out of the vehicle until helped by by-standers. He was burned over 65% of his body and his right arm and leg had to be amputated. He medical bills totalled $1.4 million and his future medicals are expected to also be in the millions of dollars. Plaintiff was a 24 year old landscape designer making $25,000 a year at the time of the accident. Plaintiff claimed that the vehicle was defective because it did not have an antisiphoning device to prevent the loss of fuel if the line was cut. He also claimed that the seat belt was defective because it would not open after the impact.

Outcome: For Plaintiff for $26.47 million, including $15 million in noneconomic damages which was reduced by the Court to $500,000, the maximum apparently allowed under Maryland law.

Plaintiff's Experts: William Greenlees, San Antonio, Texas, accident reconstruction; Jerry Wallingford, San Antonio, Texas, automotive engineering and design; and Ronald Elwell, Phoenix, Arizona, fire cause and origin.

Defendant's Experts: Jerry Curry, Washington, D.C., sefety regulations for automobiles; Ralph Newell, Gainsville, Georgia, fire cause and orgin; and Larry Ragan, Detroit, Michigan, automotive design and engineering.

Comments: None



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