Lawsuit filed against Ford, others in fatal Kentucky SUV accident

By Jim Greene

Published on August 11, 2005

The suit filed by William Buckman claims the two companies and a local wheel and brake service company that installed the punctured tire are responsible for the death of his wife, Rachel Buckman, killed when her 1995 Ford Explorer flipped over twice on a Kentucky highway. Representatives of Ford and Ashley's Wheel and Brakes Service both countered that Rachel Buckman was negligent and may have been responsible for her own death because she was not wearing a seat belt. A police report states that she was ejected from the vehicle.

The Ford spokesperson also said the accident occurred because the tire was punctured, not because of any inherent deficiency in the Explorer. The suit claims Ford was irresponsible in allowing the vehicle on the road, knowing that many similar accidents have called into question the Explorer's stability and its ability to withstand an accident and adequately protect its occupants.

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