Last weekend, a defect in a 1979 Ford Pinto caused a fire that severely burned an 18 year old man. The St. Cloud Times reported that Jeffrey Paul Hinkemeyer was westbound on County Road 51 when he was rear-ended by a 1991 Ford Taurus as he slowed to make a left turn. His car, a 1979 Ford Pinto, caught fire at the time of impact, according to a Stearns County sheriff’s report.The Ford Pinto is one of the most notorious examples of corporate greed and puttingt profits over safety. The photograph above shows another Pinto that was burned after a crash. Ford knew the Pinto's fuel tank was in a dangerous postion - behind the rear axle - that left the tank virtually unprotected if the Pinto was involved in foreseeable rear-end accidents. In fact, Ford wrote a "cost-benefit" memo that discussed the cost of fixing the problem versus the cost of paying off claims and lawsuits brought by people who were hurt or killed by this deadly defect. This is the epitome of corporate greed and a case that certainly gives rise to an automotive product liability suit against Ford for its reckless choices.
My advice to Mr. Hinkemeyer and his family would be to make sure the vehicle is preserved and stored in a safe place and to immediately contact an experienced automotive product liability attorney to take the steps needed to investigate the accident and allow him to focus on his recovery.
If you or anyone you know has questions about automotive defects, crashworthiness or other product liability claims, I would be happy to answer your questions. Just call me at 651.766.5886 or visit our firm's web-site.
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