Robert M.N. Palmer and William G. Petrus, The Law Offices of Robert M.N. Palmer, P.C., and G. Lynn Shumway, The Law Offices of G. Lynn Shumway, attorneys for plaintiff; and: Patrick X. Fowler, and Greg Marshall, Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P, attorneys for Ford Motor Company and Steven Plitt, The Law Offices of Sanders & Parks, P.C., attorney for Babitt Ford L/M, L.L.C..

On September 12, 1998, Alice Fritz, sixty-nine years old, was the front seat passenger in a 1993 Ford Escort being driven by her granddaughter, Angela Delgarito. The Escort was headed westbound on Rout 66 approaching Switzer Canyon Road in Flagstaff Arizona. Joe Oden Vandever driving a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck made an illegal left turn in front of Ms. Delgario causing a collision. The Ford was equipped with an automatic (passive) shoulder belt and a manual lap belt restraint system. Ms. Fritz was wearing the shoulder belt and not the lap belt at the time of the collision. Ms. Fritz suffered a C6-C7 dislocation with quadriplegia.

Plaintiff alleged that the restraint system in the 1993 Ford Escort was defective and unreasonably dangerous in that it failed to adequately restrain Ms. Fritz. This particular restraint system contains a motorized shoulder belt with a separately operated manual lap belt. Plaintiff further claimed that the Escort was defective in that it did not provide an adequate warning to Ms. Fritz of the need to wear the manual lap belt.
 

Medical expenses $474,817.00.

Case settled for a confidential amount on August 14, 2002.