Deputy, student hurt in wreck
By CAREN M. PENLAND
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM

DENTON — A Denton County sheriff’s deputy and a student intern were injured late Friday when their Crown Victoria patrol car was rear-ended and the gas tank exploded into flames, authorities said. The two managed to escape before the fire caused ammunition in the trunk to go off.

SOURCE: www.Star-Telegram.com >

A Safety Matter: Family of sisters who died in a fiery wreck is suing Ford Motor Co., saying it should have installed a shield sooner
By James Romoser
JOURNAL REPORTER
Sisters Megan Howell, Tara Howell Parker and Mysti Howell-Poplin died in 2003 when their rented limo was hit in the rear and burned.
Last month, Ford Motor Co. did something that it could have done at least three years ago. It began distributing a basic safety shield that reduces the risk of fire when a Lincoln Town Car limousine is hit from behind.
That shield might have saved the lives of three Mocksville sisters who burned to death on Sept. 10, 2003, on their way home from a rock concert.

SOURCE: JournalNow.com, North Carolina

Officer killed in wreck was shot in 2003
He miraculously survived two bullets from an AK-47 that left gaping holes in his neck and leg. He endured weeks on a hospital bed and months of rehabilitation to regain the ability to drive, shower, walk. Early Friday, about nine months after he'd finally recovered enough to return to patrolling the West Side, Officer John Wheeler died, trapped in his burning patrol car.

SOURCE: San Antonio Express News >

Trooper's Car Catches Fire; Blocks 405 During Rush Hour
BELLEVUE - Those trying to get home on the Eastside were in for quite the challenge Tuesday afternoon after a crash and ensuing car fire blocked the southbound lanes of I-405 for several minutes. The Washington State Patrol says one of their troopers was rear-ended by a Lincoln Town Car while the trooper was stopped on the shoulder near NE 4th Street in Bellevue around 5 p.m.

SOURCE: KomoTV.com

SOURCE: KansasCity.com (must register to access)

SOURCE: Kansas City Star (must register to access)

The county jury in Fredericktown announced the award Wednesday to the family of John Jablonski. Ford will appeal the verdict.

The 73-year-old man was killed after another car rear-ended his 1993 Lincoln Town Car on Interstate 270 near Granite City in July 2003. Jablonski's wife was severely burned in the fiery crash, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Jury foreman Ed Friedel, 44, said the panel felt the automaker should have issued blanket safety advisories on its vehicles.

"The kicker for me and the other jurors was that the same design of gas tanks in that Town Car had caused fatal fires in police cars. Ford warned the police. They should have warned civilians," he said.

The woman whose car struck the Jablonski vehicle said she was searching for her sunglasses before the collision.

"This was a tragic accident caused by a negligent driver, searching for her sunglasses and plowing into a stationary Town Car at 65 mph," Ford attorney Doug Lampe said.

SOURCE: Washington Times

Jury that awarded $43 million found fault with car company, foreman says
By Paul Hampel Of the Post-Dispatch
A Madison County jury that awarded $43.7 million to the family of a Warrenton man who died in a fiery car crash felt that Ford Motor Co. should have issued blanket safety advisories on its vehicles, not just to police agencies, the jury foreman said Wednesday. John Jablonski, 73, was killed and his wife, Dora Jablonski, then 70, was severely burned after another car rear-ended their 1993 Lincoln Town Car on Interstate 270 near Illinois Route 203 near Granite City in July 2003. Their car was stopped in a construction zone when it was struck.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4812-2005Apr20.html

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-brf-ford-
lawsuit,0,3604964.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

http://autonet.ca/Laws/story.cfm?story=/Laws/2005/04/21/1007165.html

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