Virginia  |  Product Liability

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3/10/10, 5:21 am

Legal Question


In November of 2006, I was driving my 2005 Ford F150 pick-up truck, when it suddenly accelerated wide open and I lost control and had a very violent accident. It was about 4 am and I was on my way to meet some friends for a hunting trip. This had also happened the week before on two separate occasions while I had other people in the vehicle with me.I was charged with DWI, wreckless driving, and refusal. I was convicted of wreckless driving and refusal. I also had taken the truck to a local Ford dealership a couple of weeks prior to the accident for repair because occasionally it had tried to engage the 4wheel drive while I was driving down the road at highway speeds.They acknowleged this disturbing noise and told me that they had contacted a Ford tech rep and was told that this was a normal and acceptable condition. They refused to repair the problem even though the truck was still under warranty. I told them that it was not normal since I had been driving the truck since I had bought it new in August of 2005 and it had not occurred before.This has been documented. I never followed up on this and I didn't return it to the dealer for the acceleration problem because of the way they treated me prior. I do have several witnesses who can and will vouch for what I am telling you. One is a former quality assurance specialist who has told me that a lady he had worked with at the Norfolk plant was driving a new vehicle off the line when this vehicle did the same thing and crashed into a wall, totalling the vehicle. I also have 4 other witnesses who were in the vehicle when it took off at full power on it's own. At that time I was able to turn off the ignition before anything happened. I also have another witness who witnessed the accident. I was in a curve travelling 55 mph, (the speed limit), and 2 wheels had gotten off the road. He said he could hear my brakes squealing as the pulsation occurred from the anti-brake locking system as I was trying to stop the vehicle without success. Since I was in a curve, I couldn't get to the ignition key. The truck flipped several times and came to a rest upside down with the roof partially crushed. The people who pulled me out from where the back glass had been also told me that I did not smell of alcohol and that other accidents had occurred in that area. I was taken to the hospital and had head lacerations requiring 9 staples. What can I do if anything about this situation? All the stuff about the Toyota problems has prompted me to follow up on this. Thankyou for your time, Leon Jones


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