New Orleans Jury Awards $1,241,773 in DWI Rear-End Collision

In New Orleans, a restaurant co-owner suffered severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, after his vehicle was rear-ended at a red light on Canal Street at its intersection with Carrollton Street on February 5, 2011. The plaintiff, who was briefly in a coma and left permanently disabled, filed a lawsuit against the driver who struck his vehicle and Ford Motor Company. The defendant driver later pleaded guilty to a fourth offense DWI related to the crash. The plaintiff alleged the driver's negligence caused the collision and that the driver's seat in his 2005 Ford Focus was defectively designed, lacking adequate strength, which exacerbated his injuries.

The plaintiff presented expert testimony suggesting a stronger seat would have prevented severe injury and valued a life care plan between $3.3 million and $4 million. The defendant driver offered little defense regarding liability but sought to minimize claimed injuries. Ford Motor Company argued the crash was exceptionally severe, with its expert estimating impact speeds of 50 to 60 mph, making it more severe than 97.7% of all rear-end collisions. Ford also contended its seat design was not defective and that a more rigid design would increase injury risks in other scenarios without benefiting the plaintiff in this particular crash. Ford's experts disputed the extent of the plaintiff's injuries and damages, proposing a life care plan valued between $210,000 and $300,000.

After a two-week trial in New Orleans, the jury exonerated Ford Motor Company, finding the Ford Focus was not unreasonably dangerous. The jury concluded that the defendant driver was negligent and his negligence was the proximate cause of the plaintiff's injuries, assigning 100% fault to the driver. The plaintiff was awarded medical expenses totaling $441,773, an additional $300,000 for future medicals, and $125,000 in each of four general damages categories: pain and suffering, mental anguish, permanent impairment and disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. A judgment was entered against the driver for a total of $1,241,773, and in favor of Ford on the product liability claim.