News-Democrat, "Collinsville woman settles lawsuit for $7 million; Husband died in camper fire caused by faulty refrigerator"

          A Collinsville woman whose husband died in a camper fire due to a faulty refrigerator has settled a lawsuit for $7 million, and her attorney suspects that as many as 12,000 recreational vehicles have similar refrigerators which could cause fires.
          Brenda Rutz and her husband, Randall Rutz, were sleeping in their camper on Jan. 1, 2005, in Litchfield when it caught fire. The cause was traced to cracked tubing in the camper's Norcold refrigerator, which resulted in it leaking flammable hydrogen.
          Randall Rutz, 46 at the time, died of smoke inhalation and third-degree burns to more than 70 percent of his body. Brenda Rutz, 42 at the time, suffered second- and third-degree burns as well as injuries to her lungs and vocal cord. She has permanent scarring and still has a tracheotomy in place.
          "Her voice will never be the same," said her attorney. "She'll never have the projection or the ability to sing or yell like she did before."
          Brenda Rutz reached a final settlement in her lawsuit on June 30. Apache Village, a camper dealership in Hazelwood, Mo., paid $1.5 million while Norcold and its insurer paid $5.5 million.