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CASES & INVESTIGATIONS |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Ford Crown Victoria
Fuel Tank Explosions and Accidents |
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| Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, is investigating cases by persons injured,
or the families of loved ones who have died,
involved in accidents or collisions involving
the Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor and
civilian models of the Ford Crown Victoria. It
has been alleged that the Crown Victoria's fuel
tank, located in the rear, is susceptible to
rupturing and catching fire in the event of a
high-speed, rear-end collision. |
| The Ford Crown Victoria
has come under scrutiny because of gas-tank
fires and explosions with Crown Victoria police
cruisers. There are about 350,000 Crown Victoria
Police Interceptors on the road. An estimated
14 police officers nationwide have died in
accidents allegedly where the car's gas tank
exploded following high speed, rear-end crashes.
Critics say the Crown Victoria's danger stems
from the placement of its gas tank, which is
between the rear bumper and the rear axle. |
| On September 27, 2002,
Ford Motor Company and the Arizona Attorney
General announced that the auto maker will
install and pay for fuel-tank shields on Crown
Victoria Interceptor police vehicles. During
a press briefing, Arizona Attorney General
Janet Napolitano said Ford will offer an upgrade
kit, which will include the shields. The company
also said it will offer an optional trunk package,
which is designed to help police officers carry
sharp-edged heavy equipment more safely. |
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| Lieff
Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP represents
persons injured in vehicle
accidents. Click
here to submit your
case. |
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| Lieff Cabraser has participated
in over thirty-five $100 million-plus settlements & verdicts
since 1992. To read a summary, click
here. |
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| All police department
orders of Crown Victoria Police Interceptors will
be built with the fuel-tank shields from today
forward, Ford said. While pleased that Ford agreed
to make the modifications, it was reported that
the families of some victims said independent testing
on the fix should be done. |
| "We welcome Ford's
efforts, but the consequences of an ineffective
solution to this problem can be fatal. We cannot
risk that," stated Ann Marie Nielsen in an
Associated Press article. Her husband Robert Nielsen,
a police officer in Chandler, Arizona, was killed
on June 12, 2002, after his patrol car collided
with another car and burst into flames. |
| The Ford Crown Victoria
is a mainstay of taxi cab fleets and owned by many
private individuals nationwide. The new fuel-tank
shield program is only for police vehicles. Civilian
owners of the Crown Victoria will not receive any
safety upgrades from Ford free of charge. |
| In comments to the
media, Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer
group Public Citizen, said she would like to
see more testing of the shields, particularly
by an agency or group not funded by Ford. "There
needs to be an independent crash test," said
Claybrook, a former administrator at the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "This
is a complicated fix, and I just want to be
sure this works." She also expressed concern
that Ford was not adding shields to consumer
versions of the car. |
| Persons who have been
injured in accidents involving a fuel tank
fire with Ford Crown Victoria, whether in police
or consumer versions of the car, who would
like to learn more about their legal rights,
please click
here to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser.
All messages and your personal information
will be held strictly confidential. |
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There
is no charge or obligation
for our
review of your case. |
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We
have a nationwide
team of experienced auto
defect and car accident
lawyers assigned
to our vehicle injury
cases. |
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We
have retained leading
national car crash
and auto defect experts. |
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We
have on staff a team
of
legal assistants, investigators
and nurses to assist
in the prosecution
of the claims of our
clients. |
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We
provide individual
attentive service.
Learn
more about our firm. |
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| Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, is a national law firm of over 50 lawyers with offices in San Francisco,
New York and Nashville. Our attorneys are recognized
for the successful prosecution of lawsuits involving deaths, personal injuries
and property damage due to defective products, including in the field of vehicle
safety. |
| In 2007, in the case
of Mraz
v. DaimlerChrysler, Lieff Cabraser
attorneys, with local co-counsel, obtained
the fourth largest verdict in California for
the year. At trial, plaintiffs showed that
a defective
transmission was responsible for making
a Dodge Dakota pickup shift into reverse and
run over Richard Mraz. |
| Currently, we are
prosecuting personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving cars, vans,
pickup trucks, SUVs, the Yamaha Rhino and other
vehicles. To learn more about the firm, click
here. |
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| Trademark Notice:
Vehicle Injuries.com is an electronic newsletter from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, a national personal injury attorney | lawyer law firm. |
| Lieff Cabraser is not
affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of any trademarks on
this site is for product identification and information purposes only. |
| About Lieff Cabraser:
Drivers and passengers injured in auto crashes and pickup truck and SUV rollover
accidents, or families of loved ones who died, may be eligible to file lawsuits
against other drivers at fault or against the manufacturer of their vehicle if
the accident was due to a safety defect. Safety defects can include a high risk
of rolling
over, tire tread
separation, seat
belt failures and other defects. Learn
more... |
| We have offices in San
Francisco, New York and Nashville.
Our car crash accident lawyers and auto accident attorneys have represented
clients in personal injury, auto accident, SUV rollover and vehicle safety defect
lawsuits across America, including persons living in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. |
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| Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP |
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