James L. Ulm v. Ford Motor Company, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Massachusetts, Inc.

Product Liability - Ford Bronco - Steering system - Automobile Accident - Facts introduced at trial established that on September 9,
1990, after spending the day boating on the Harriman Reservoir in
Wilmington, plaintiff and friend Gary Corey left the reservoir
boat landing in a 1978 Ford Bronco, owned by friend Chris Wood.
Corey drove the Bronco along the dirt road leading to his cottage
at a speed of approximately twenty to twenty-five miles per hour.
As the vehicle approached a curve in the road, Corey lost control
of the steering. The vehicle went off the road, climbed an
embankment, struck a tree, and rolled over onto its passenger
side. Plaintiff broke his back and sustained a spinal cord injury
that paralyzed him from the waist down. Plaintiff brought a
strict liability action against Ford, alleging that defective
design in the 1978 Ford Bronco steering system caused the
steering gear sector shaft to break at some point prior to the
accident, causing the loss of steering control which led to the
accident.

Plaintiff's verdict for $1.25 million. Of this $260,000 was allocated as emotional distress damages.

Professor Hochgraf, design defect and causation,

Unknown

Affirmed by the Supreme Court of Vermont. See: ___ Vt. ___ (1-7-2000), ___ A.2d ___. Note: The above date reflects the appellate court decision date, not the original trial date. Reported by kkm.