3 San Diego Children Awarded $14.4M in Wrongful Death Suit
The children of a San Diego couple have been awarded $14.4 million in a wrongful death lawsuit settlement. In 2006, the couple was driving on Highway 98 in Arizona when Casey Barber lost control of their Ford E350 van. The van subsequently rolled over and killed Barber and his wife Melanie. Authorities are blaming right-rear tire separation for causing the accident. At the time of the accident, the children were ages 3, 5, and 8 years old.
The defendants and the attorney representing the children reached a settlement before and after the jury rendered a verdict. The pre-verdict settlement included other defendants in the lawsuit. The total amount that the children will be awarded from the pre-verdict and post-verdict settlements is $19 million. The post-verdict settlement also included a stipulation in which the defendants; the Mossy Ford dealership, will be implementing a training program for technicians for tire repair and consumer safety.
The lawsuit stated that the work Mossy Ford performed to fix the tire was inadequate and this directly led to the deaths of both victims. As a result of this alleged negligence, the three children now have to live and grow up without their parents around. Nobody should ever have to suffer such a tragic loss in their family. This incident demonstrates how any detail in product safety can easily cause severe injury or fatality. Even though the children will be given compensation from the dealership in this incident, it couldn’t possibly erase the emotional damage that they have suffered because of this accident.
