Wasilik v. Rehert, et al.

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.

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.

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.

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.

None