The surviving family members of Cassandra Holcombe have filed a product liability suit against Ford Motor Co., alleging its 1997 Explorer was defectively designed and sold.
Holcombe's children and her husband, Timothy,filed the suit Aug. 27 in Jefferson County District Court.
Court documents show that on July 13, 2009, Holcombe was driving a 1997 Ford Explorer on the Eastex Freeway in Beaumont when "she lost control of the vehicle and ultimately rolled over."
"She was wearing her seatbelt, but was nonetheless ejected from the vehicle and died in the hospital from her injuries the next day," the suit states. "There was no tire failure or tripping mechanism to cause the vehicle to roll. Rather, the vehicle rolled due to ... inherent instability."
The Holcombe family accuses Ford of negligently manufacturing a defective vehicle and then placing it into the stream of commerce.
They are suing for punitive damages and wrongful death and survival damages.
The plaintiffs are represented by Dallas attorney George Parker Jr. of Jim S. Adler & Associates.
Judge Bob Wortham, 58th District Court, has been assigned to the case.
Case No. A187-800