Engineer Blames Ford in Rollover Crash
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An automotive expert testified in McAllen during a $1-billion lawsuit against Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. that vehicle design, not tire design, caused a rollover accident last year that injured four members of a South Texas family.
Chris Shapley, an independent engineer who specializes in vehicle dynamics, was the latest witness to point blame at Ford Motor Co. Lawyers for Firestone insist a flaw with the Ford Explorer, not the tires, led to the crash.
The lawsuit was filed by Joel Rodriguez, who was injured along with his brother, son and wife when their Explorer blew a tire and flipped in March 2000.
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