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TRIAL TO FOCUS FORD FUEL-TANK CONTROVERSY ON CIVILIAN DEATHS WINSTON-SALEM, NC – A trial in the death of three sisters who burned to death in a Lincoln Town Car limousine, including the wife of former NASCAR crew chief Shawn Parker, gets underway in the General Court of Justice in nearby Mocksville on January 16. The special trial date is not subject to change. Tara Howell Parker, 29, Mysti Howell-Poplin, 24, and Megan Howell, 16, were killed Sept. 10, 2003, when the Lincoln Town Car limousine they were returning home in after a Fleetwood Mac concert in Greensboro was struck from behind by a drunk driver and exploded into flames. The limousine was stopped in traffic at the time. The doors jammed, trapping the screaming women inside. The driver escaped. Families of the victims are suing Ford Motor Co. for continuing to offer for public use vehicles that burst into flames when struck at high speeds from behind. The Town Car is mechanically identical to the Ford Crown Victoria police car, which has been blamed in the fire deaths of at least 18 police officers in recent years, and which Ford began upgrading with protective shields in 2002. This is the second major trial highlighting civilian deaths related to fuel tank issues associated with Ford’s panther line of cars – the Crown Victoria, Town Car and Grand Prix. In March, an Illinois jury slapped Ford with a $43.7 million verdict in the burning death of John Jablonski, 73, and critical injury of his wife, Dora, after their Town Car was rear-ended and erupted in flames. In its ruling, the jury took Ford to task for not warning civilians of the fire risk associated with Panther models, especially after they had warned police of the identical risk. The fuel tank in these models is located between the rear axle and the trunk, making it vulnerable to puncture or crushing in high-speed rear crashes. They are the only remaining car models in North American with the fuel tank located outside the safety of the rear axle. Just this month, Ford began offering to upgrade limousines with the same protective shields currently available on its Crown Victoria police cars. However, the automaker has consistently ignored calls by auto safety groups to put the safety devices on civilian versions of its Panther vehicles. Tara, a former Miss Winston, and her husband, Shawn, had just adopted an infant son; Mysti and her husband, Shane, had an 8-monthold daughter, and 16-year-old Megan was on her first big outing with her adult sisters when the accident occurred. At the time, Shawn worked Chrysler as a NASCAR crew chief. At least 18
civilians since 2003 are known to have burned to death following
rear-impact crashes involving civilian versions of the Crown Victoria,
Town Car and Grand Prix. The Center for Auto Safety puts the civilian
fire death toll at 80 in these vehicles between 1992 and 2001. The
latest reported death occurred August 5th in Louisiana. |
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