Spet ena čudna razsodba v ZDA

Ni ravno pravni nasvet, a ima vseeno mesto tu. Navajeni smo že na novice o čudnih razsodbah v ZDA, a zdi se, da ta presega vse meje. Ford bo moral plačat 31 M $ dsružini, ki ima zaradi nesreče (prevračanja) trajne posledice - njihov sin je delno prizadet (kratkoročni spomin itd).

Dejstva:
avto (Ford Bronco II - SUV) je vozila mama
ni preverila, če so otroci na zadnjih sedežih dobro pripeti s pasom
nesreča se je zgodila, ko/ker je mama/voznica pogledala nazaj v debati/prepiru z otroci, zato je avto zaneslo s ceste, ko je to opazila, je (pre)močno zavila levo, kar je rezultiralo v prevračanju avta

Avto naj bi bil nevaren zaradi (pre)visokega težišča, tudi varnostni pasovi naj bi bili nezanesljivi/pokvarjeni, je bila odvetnikova hipoteza.

Sodnik je dal prav odvetniku žrtve, Ford bo moral plačati 31 M $ odškodnine in kazni. Avto naj bi bil 55% kriv, voznica pa 45%.
Bodo tudi njo kaznovali?

Kaj naj rečem - ena zelo običajna nesreča (za SUV), ki jo je dokazano povzročila mama. Kaj naj bi avto moral imeti na volanu veliko nalepko "Ne obračaj prehitro - nevarnost prevračanja"? Ali še kasneje morda "Ne obračaj hitro - nevarnost zanašanja"?

Pa kakšni so ti Američani, da predvidljive, pričakovane in dobesedno samoumevne dogodke spreminjajo v kazensko/odškodninsko odgovornost takih razmerij (31 M)? Za take zneske je bil Ford že kaznovan (Pinto v začetku 70-let), a to le zato, ker so s pomočjo zvočnih posnetkov odvetniki uspeli dokazat, da je bil zadaj naklep - šefi so vedeli za zelo nevaren (a poceni (2 $) - tudi popravilo/vpoklic ne bi bilo ekonomsko uničujoče) nosilec bencinskega tanka, ki se je ob že manjši nesreči odlomil in avto je zagorel, a so zaradi ekonomike poslovanja raje prikrivali napako z računico, da bo skupen znesek odškodnin manjši od zneska vpoklica. Toda takrat je bil dejansko prisoten naklep, kot tudi pri tožbah proti tobačnim korporacijam, ki so jim uspeli dokazat zavestno prikrivanje in lažiranje podatkov iz raziskav o povzročanju nikotinske zasvojenosti.

Tu pa ni nič od tega - samo ena za trenutek nepozorna mama, ki je spravila v drek svojega sina. Če bi bil jaz na njenem mestu, bi me bilo dobesedno sram razmišljati o tožbi.

Kaj vi porečete na to sicer žalostno zgodbo?


link do novice v citatu
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 1148/rss25

Ford loses $31M rollover verdict

Margaret Cronin Fisk / Bloomberg News
Ford Motor Co. must pay $31 million to a South Carolina teenager who suffered brain injuries in a Bronco II rollover accident in 2001, a jury ruled.

The verdict is the largest jury award in 2006 against an automaker, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Jesse Branham III, 17, was a rear-seat passenger in a 1987 Bronco II when it flipped over on a country road in southwestern South Carolina. Branham's parents, who sued on their son's behalf, said the Bronco II rolled over because the sport-utility vehicle is inherently unstable.

"A high center of gravity causes the Bronco to roll over," during evasive driving maneuvers, said Branham's attorney Johnny Parker. The Branhams also claimed the seat belt was defective.

The Hampton, S.C., state court jury on Oct 26 awarded $16 million in actual damages and $15 million in punitive damages. Ford wasn't responsible for the accident and will appeal, said company spokeswoman Kathleen Vokes.

"The driver admitted to taking her eyes off the road to argue with children in the rear seat," Vokes said in an e-mail. The driver "failed to control the vehicle after leaving the paved road surface and failed to ensure that the children in the vehicle were restrained with seat belts."

The jury found Ford 55 percent responsible, while concluding that the driver was 45 percent to blame. Ford is responsible for the entire verdict under South Carolina law, Parker said.

The accident left Branham, then 12, with limited memory and diminished intellectual abilities, Parker said. "He can't remember what happened five minutes ago," he said. "He was a very bright young man." The accident occurred after the driver, Cheryl Jane Hall, turned to look at children in the back seat of the Bronco, Parker said. The vehicle began drifting off the road and she steered hard to the left, causing the SUV to roll, he said.