Ford was hit with a $1.7 billion jury verdict and more than 160 lawsuits for injuries and deaths in Ford Super Duty F250, F350, F450, and F550 truck rollover accidents when the roof crushed.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Ford truck rollover injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured or died when the roof crushed in a rollover accident involving a Ford F250, F350, F450, or F550 truck from the 1999 to 2016 model-years, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Car Accident Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Ford Roof Class Action Lawsuit Filed in Michigan
In September 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed against Ford by a man who claims that his 2013 Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup truck has a dangerously weak roof. In the lawsuit, he claims that “he no longer feels safe in it for fear of what could happen if the vehicle were to be involved in a rollover accident.”
What is the Problem?
Ford sold over 5.2 million “Super Duty” trucks with weak roofs that can crush people inside during rollover accidents. The trucks include the Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 trucks built between 1999 and 2016.
The problem with having a weak roof in a rollover is that… you might as well be driving a convertible.
Ford built these “Super Duty” trucks to meet federal roof-crush regulations for vehicles to 6,000 pounds — but even though many Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 trucks weigh 8,000 pounds or more, Ford did not strengthen the roof.
At normal driving speeds, the force of a rollover can add thousands of pounds to the impact on the roof — far more than these trucks can handle.
Ford has known about this problem for decades, but instead of issuing a recall, Ford kept the problem under wraps by quietly paying “hush money” settlements before trials. There are now hundreds of roof-crush accidents and over 160 lawsuits piled up, and trials on the way.
Ford Hit With $1.7 Billion Jury Verdict for Deadly Rollover Roof-Crush Lawsuit
In August 2022, a jury in Georgia hit Ford with a huge $1.7 billion verdict for a Georgia couple who died when the roof crushed in a rollover accident. Ford was accused of selling millions of 1999-2016 Ford Super Duty trucks with weak roofs that could kill people in rollovers.
Is Your Ford Truck a Death Trap in a Rollover?
The weak roof is an extremely dangerous problem on over 5.2 million Ford Super Duty trucks that were built between 1999 and 2016. If your truck weighs more than 6,000 pounds and it was built during this time, the roof may not be able to hold the weight of the vehicle in a rollover. Anyone inside the vehicle can be crushed, seriously injured, or killed.
What Happened?
The $1.7 billion verdict was awarded to the sons of Melvin and Voncile Hill, a couple who were crushed to death in rollover accident involving their 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab. They were driving on a rural road in Georgia when a tire blew out, causing the vehicle to flip.
Graphic Photos Show Roof Flattened Down to the Hood
The family provided extremely graphic photos from the accident showing that the roof crushed the cab of the truck down to the hood.
Ford Did Not Bother to Strengthen Roofs on Heavy Trucks
The Hill’s vehicle had a gross weight of about 8,800 pounds. When it was built, the government only set roof-strength standards for vehicles up to 6,000 pounds.
Ford knew that the Hill’s truck (and millions of other F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty trucks) weighed far more than 6,000 pounds, but the auto-maker did not bother to make the roof any stronger — or issue a recall, or warn millions of people about the risk.
Government Finally Orders Ford to Strengthen Truck Roofs in 2017
After years of fighting new roof-crush standards, Ford only started strengthening the roofs on heavier trucks when they were eventually forced to 2017, after auto regulators finally applied stricter roof-strength standards to vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds.
Jury Slams Ford With $1.7 Billion Punitive Damage Verdict
The jury in the Hill case was clearly convinced that Ford knew that millions of trucks on the road had dangerously weak roofs, but did nothing about it.
On August 18, the jury awarded the couple’s sons $24 million in compensatory damages. The following day, the jury slammed Ford with an additional $1.7 billion in punitive damages, which were added to the verdict to punish Ford for serious wrongdoing.
Ford Facing 162 Lawsuits and 83 Other Reports of Roof-Crush Accidents
Ford has been aware of the roof-crush problem for decades. At least 162 lawsuits have been filed and 83 similar rollover roof-crush accidents have been reported involving 1999-2016 model-year heavy-duty trucks, according to evidence in the lawsuit for Melvin and Voncile Hill.
“Hush Deals” and Settlements Helped Ford Hide Roof-Crush Problem For Decades
Nearly all of those lawsuits ended quickly and quietly with out-of-court settlements, which helped Ford hide the roof-crush problem for years. These settlements put a spotlight on “hush deals” that help billion-dollar companies avoid negative publicity and big jury verdicts.
Should I File a Lawsuit?
Ford has kept this deadly roof issue under wraps for decades by quietly paying out settlements and avoiding massive jury verdicts like the one in Georgia. That is changing. Now, more than 160 lawsuits have been filed by angry people who were injured and the loved ones of people who died. They are demanding a recall, justice, and compensation.
Can I Join a Class Action?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm. We are currently filing individual lawsuits for people who were injured or died as a result of rollover accidents when the roof crushed.
You may be able to file a lawsuit and compensation for your injury, medical expenses, lost income, wrongful death of a loved one, and more, if you were injured in one of the following Ford trucks:
- Ford Super Duty trucks built from 1999 to 2016
- Ford F-250
- Ford F-350
- Ford F-450
- Ford F-550
Do I have a Ford Truck Rollover Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Ford truck rollover injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured or died when the roof crushed in a rollover accident involving a Ford F250, F350, F450, or F550 truck from the 1999 to 2016 model-years, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Car Accident Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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