Over the past couple of years, Ford has found itself in a bit of hot water over a number of lawsuits alleging that 1999-2016 Super Duty pickups were built with roofs that aren’t strong enough to hold up in the event of a rollover crash. That problem has reportedly resulted in multiple other deaths in at least 80 similar rollover crashes, though Ford has long argued that these roofs met all government safety standards at the time, though those standards were updated in 2012 and The Blue Oval wasn’t required to adhere to them until 2017. Now, another lawsuit has been filed over a 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty that crushed its owner, but in a very different way.
According to MySanAntonio, a man named Roy Irwin was killed when his Ford F-250 Super Duty rolled over him when it was parked in his friend’s driveway. Irwin had exited his pickup to talk with his friends, at which point the Super Duty began rolling forward and backward, even though it was in park at the time. At some point, the Ford F-250 Super Duty began moving at a more rapid pace, which is when he tried to take action to stop it.
“Mr. Irwin, having witnessed the actions of his truck, attempted to get in the driver side of the vehicle as it was making its last roll backwards,” the lawsuit reads. “Horrifically, Mr. Irwin was pulled underneath the front driver side resulting in the vehicle’s front tire running over his upper torso, trapping him alive until first responders arrived at the scene and freed him. He later died at the hospital.”
The lawsuit was filed by Irwin’s daughter, who is accusing both Ford and Kahlig Enterprises, Inc. – the parent company of Bluebonnet Ford, where the truck was purchased – of selling him a vehicle with a defective transmission that allows the vehicle “to shift gears without human input.” The lawsuit also claims that NAW-Northwest Automotive Warehouse, Inc. installed a brush guard on the Ford F-250 Super Duty that prevented the truck’s pedestrian prevention system from functioning properly, too.
Comments
I suppose you can sue for vehicle malfunction and modification(s). But good luck getting anything out of it over his death. It was by his own will, he was manually trying to stop a rolling vehicle. Common sense would say, just let it roll and get the repairs done after. Could have found out after, that it was indeed in park. And Ford will have to pay for damages for faulty transmission while under warranty. Don’t ever try to be Superman. 9/10 machine wins over man.
Ford has a simple defense. The owner’s manual is very specific about using the emergency brake every time the vehicle is parked.