On Dec. 30, 2009, the Ford Motor Co. agreed to pay $1,925,000 to settle a suit filed by the family of a police officer who died from injuries sustained in a car accident.
In 2005, Officer Mark Simmons Jr. was a passenger in a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria police car when it was rear-ended by a pickup truck. His family alleged the support and anchor mechanisms on Simmons' seat failed due to design and manufacturing defects, causing him to be violently thrown to the back of the car.
Simmons, a father of two young children, sustained severe brain damage and died in 2008.
Ford argued the seat, which met all government safety standards, was safe. It contended Simmons’ injuries were caused by the severe nature of the accident and his failure to wear a seat belt, but it ultimately agreed to the settlement.
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