Ford settles Texas fatal crash lawsuit day after trial begins

By Jim Greene

Published on October 14, 2005

Cousins Dustin Gobert, 15, and Kimber Moore, 14, died in a crash 70 miles west of San Antonia on April 2, 2002. The teens' parents charged Ford with gross negligence for selling a defectively designed vehicle. Specifically, the suit said that, in a rollover on a flat surface, the roof is not strong enough to protect occupants and the side windows are not laminated sufficiently to prevent occupant ejection.

A Ford spokesperson said the settlement for an unspecified amount did not include an admission of guilt by the automaker, and suggested the families' willingness to settle might indicate they didn't expect to prevail.

The suit, filed in 332nd District Court in Hidalgo County, also named a Kerrville Ford dealership and TRW, the company that made the Explorer's seat belts and has a plant in McAllen. Both defendants settled out of court before the trial.

On the single day of the trial, jurors heard testimony from the victims' mothers, both of whom responded to the accident in their capacities as emergency medical volunteers, not knowing their sons were involved.

Comment on this article →