According to the verdict reached Friday, the jury in a New Castle County court found Kia’s negligent conduct was a key factor in the 2015 injuries of former Philadelphia homicide detective Charles Permint Jr., a resident of Harbeson, who ultimately died after his chest hit a 2014 Kia Soul’s dashboard during a two-vehicle, front-end crash in which he was the front passenger.

The decision followed a two-week trial before Superior Court Judge Vivian L. Medinilla. The jury began deliberating late Thursday afternoon and continued through the majority of Friday before finding Kia Motors Corp. was negligent in its design of the restraint system on the 2014 Soul, but not in its manufacturing, and the car wasn’t unfit to sell.