America
Indian American sues US tyre company over car crash
Washington, Sep 26
An Indian American is suing
Ohio-based Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, holding it responsible for
a 2012 crash that left him paralysed, according to a media report.
Harishkumar
Patel, 58, suffered a spine injury that left him paralysed after his
car rolled over on the US-31 freeway. An independent tyre consultant on
Thursday told Berrien County Trial Court that the Goodyear tyre that
failed on Patel's vehicle had three manufacturer defects and one design
defect, The Herald Palladium reported on Friday.
Tyre consultant
William Woehrle told Judge Sterling Schrock that although he never
personally designed a tyre, he has held positions in which he provided
tyre failure information to engineers and designers.
Patel is suing Goodyear for the second time. A trial in 2014 ended in a hung jury, the daily added.
A
lawyer representing the Indian-American said if the jury decides
against Goodyear, a monetary award for Patel would also be considered by
the panel. He said the cost of care for Patel for the rest of his life
is expected to exceed $6 million.
The tyre company's defence is
based on a belief that the failure was a result of the vehicle hitting
an object at some time before the day of the crash, while Patel's
lawyers argued that the tyre was defective and never should have been
placed on a vehicle.