Jury Rules for Ford in Missouri Lawsuit Over Fatal Accident

A jury has ruled in favor Ford Motor Co. in a lawsuit filed by a Kansas man who was seriously injured in an accident that also killed a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.

A Jackson County jury ruled Monday that Ford does not owe damages to Michael Nolte of Leawood, Kan. He was severely burned in a 2003 accident that also killed Trooper Michael Newton.

Newton and Nolte were sitting in the trooper’s Crown Victoria patrol car in May 2003 when it was hit from behind by a truck and burst into flames. Witnesses pulled Nolte from the wreckage.

The Kansas City Star reports Nolte’s attorney contended the vehicle’s design caused the fire. Ford’s attorneys said the distracted truck driver was to blame for the accident.