Ford Found Liable In Lawsuit In W.Va. Woman's Death

A jury in West Virginia has awarded $7 million in a product liability lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. to the family of a woman who died when her Mustang was involved in a fiery crash.

A Kanawha County jury made the award this week to the Raleigh County family of Breanna Bumgarner. The jury found Ford was 99% at fault for Bumgarner’s death, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

Ford spokesman Ian Thibodeau said the company will review its options for appealing the verdict.

According to the lawsuit filed by the administrator of Bumgarner’s estate, Bumgarner’s 2014 Ford Mustang was hit by a pickup truck that had crossed the center line along U.S. Route 33 near Spencer in March 2016. The Mustang caught fire and Bumgarner was trapped in the vehicle. The lawsuit also named the driver of the other vehicle and her parents.

The plaintiff’s attorneys had argued that the Mustang’s brake fluid reservoir was not sufficiently protected from the crash and it led to the fire. The jury found the reservoir’s design was not safe enough in preventing leakage in the accident.