Detroit News, "DCX loses suit in Dodge owner's death; L.A. jury awards $55M to Dakota driver's wife, who contends truck's defect killed husband"

          A Los Angeles County jury Wednesday slapped DaimlerChrysler AG with a $55 million verdict in a trial stemming from the April 2004 death of a 38-year-old longshoreman killed in an accident involving his 1992 Dodge Dakota. Richard Mraz suffered fatal head injuries after he got out of the 1992 Dodge Dakota he was driving at the San Pedro/Long Beach Maritime Terminal, walking away believing the vehicle was in park. Mraz was injured while attempting to jump into the truck while it was moving in reverse. He fell into a coma and died 17 days after the accident.
          The vehicle -- owned by his employer -- had been recalled by the automaker, but Mraz's employer ignored 12 separate recall notices, DaimlerChrysler said. Adriana Mraz, Richard Mraz's widow, said the verdict sent "a strong message to DaimlerChrysler that it must finally fix the defect in millions of its vehicles." The verdict includes $5.2 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.
          Lawyers for Mraz said Chrysler intentionally failed to quickly fix the "park-to-reverse" automatic transmission defect in millions of vehicles. Beginning in 2000, DaimlerChrysler has conducted three separate recalls in the "park to release issue" of about 2 million vehicles. Several million vehicles with similar issues remain on the roads and more than 1,000 complaints have been made, said Scott Nealey, an attorney for Mraz. Lawyers said the vehicles allow drivers to place the gear shift in what appears to be the park position, saying it doesn't move when the brake is released because the vehicle is between gears. "From this position, the vehicle can have a dangerous delayed engagement of powered reverse after a few seconds or an even longer period," Nealey said.