Ford has ordered to pay $ 7 million for the W.Va fatal crash involving the 2014 Mustang

The West Virginia jury ruled this Tuesday Ford Motor Company. have to pay $ 7 million the family of a 19-year-old woman who died in an accident in 2016 involving her Ford Mustang.

By suitthe pickup crashed into a 2014 Mustang that subsequently caught fire, and Breana Boomgarner was eventually killed.

A lawsuit filed in February 2018 in Charleston, Virginia, alleged that the Mustang was “defectively designed, creating an unreasonable propensity to ignite under normal and predictable operating conditions”.

According to Charleston Gazette-Mailthe jury ruled that Ford was 99 percent responsible for Bumgarner’s death because the Mustang did not prevent a leak from the brake fluid reservoir during the crash. The remaining 1 percent of the guilt of the jury pleaded guilty to the driver who hit the Mustang.

Mike Andrews, a lawyer representing the Bamgarner family, wrote in an email Automotive news that Ford deliberately concealed important safety information about the 2005-14 Mustang.

“These defects are symptoms of a more serious problem: the 2005-2014 Mustang is not accident-resistant and was not designed to properly protect passengers or protect against known fire hazards,” Andrews wrote.

Ford spokesman Ian Cibado wrote in an email that the company is considering options.

“Although our sympathies are with Ms. Bumgarner’s family and we respect the jury’s decision, we do not believe the verdict is supported by evidence,” Thibado wrote. “We will consider options for appeal.”