A Gladewater woman is suing over claims she suffered serious burns after road debris struck her vehicle's fuel tank and ignited a fire.
Erin Edney filed a lawsuit April 9 in the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division against Chrysler Group LLC, citing negligence and design defect.
According to the complaint, Edney was driving her 2011 Dodge Durango on Texas State Highway 155 in Big Sandy on March 26, 2013, when her vehicle ran over metal road debris. The suit states the debris penetrated the fuel tank and ignited a fire that engulfed the vehicle in flames. Edney says her clothes caught fire and she suffered severe burns.
The lawsuit alleges the vehicle was not equipped with a protective skid plate, but rather it was offered as an extra option, the importance of which was not discussed.
Chrysler Group LLC and its predecessors-in-interest are accused of design defect and negligence.
Edney is seeking damages in an amount to be determined by the court.
She is being represented in the case by attorney Jeffrey T. Embry and George Cowden IV of Hossley Embry LLP in Tyler.
Eastern District Court Marshall Division Case No. 14-cv-00306
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Eastern District Court Marshall Division. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.