A California appeals court says a woman who was paralyzed after Ford Explorer rolled over is entitled to 82.6 million dollars in damages from the automaker.
The appeals court was asked by the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case after Ford appealed the award, arguing that it was being punished even though the design of the vehicle met federal safety standards.
Benetta Buell-Wilson was driving on an interstate east of San Diego in January 2002 when she swerved to avoid a metal object and lost control of her 1997 Explorer, which rolled 4½ times. The mother of two was paralyzed from the waist down when the roof collapsed on her neck, severing her spine.
A jury initially awarded Buell-Wilson 369 million, including 246 million in punitive damages but courts twice cut the size of the award.
