| PRODUCTS LIABILITY
On Sept. 19, a jury concluded that a tire maker wasn't liable for an accident that killed a mother and son and severely injured another child.
On Aug. 4, 2004, Emily Roddy was driving a pickup on Highway 69 in Greenville when her left front tire became disabled, causing her to lose control and crash. Roddy and her son Hunter Hathcock were killed; daughter Alexa Hathcock sustained a traumatic brain injury.
Keith Hathcock, Roddy's ex-husband and the children's father, sued tire manufacturer Hankook Tire Co. for $20 million. Hathcock alleged that the tires lacked nylon cap plies and the belt edge insulation strips were made too thin. He claimed these defects caused the crash.
Hankook argued the disabled tire showed evidence that it had been used for a significant period of time in an underinflated condition and also that it appeared to have been damaged by a road hazard at some point prior to the accident. The jury found no defects in the tires.
Hathcock, et al. v. Hankook Tire America Corp., No. 69778
Court: 354th District Court, Hunt County
Plaintiffs' Attorneys: Wesley Todd Ball, Farrar & Ball, Houston; James C. Orr Jr. and Eric D. Pearson, Heygood, Orr & Pearson, Dallas
Defense Attorneys: Michael Ezzel, Ray, Valdez, McChristian & Jeans, San Antonio; Jeffrey H. Ray, Ray, Valdez, McChristian & Jeans, El Paso; Joseph Weis, Pemberton, Green, Newcomb & Weis, Greenville
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