FordVictim1997

I guess we should be glad that no one thought that way when Columbus stated that he thought the world was round, and IF he was correct it would mean shorter trade routes. Yes, IF is a highly subjective operator but that is no reason to stop researching. How many advancements in technology, medicine, and other areas have been made possible simply by someone posing a question beginning with "IF". If you don't like me or what I write, I can assure you that you are not the first nor will you be the last. Here I am ten years after the incident, about to have more surgery done (yes, related to the accident) and add to the scars, so do you really think I am concerned with how somone such as yourself might view me painted? Hopefully you will never find yourself in a similar situation, but if by chance you do, give me a call.

One of the orignial contentions made by Ford engineers was that the cruise could not be activated at slow speeds. Our early contention was that circuit degradtion could cause this to happen, and even after Ford reproduced the results they continued to hold steady that despite the unit having power to it as soon as the ignition is turned on, the unit would not engage until a certain speed. The paper shows that once the unit is degraded it can send itself false readings; the damaged connectors are just means of making this possible.

Should have been two T's in Hyatt, but it seems like a good DB would have corrected for that. The accident occured at approximately 2am on 31 August 1997 in McAllen, TX, but I never saw anything reported about it. I would have thought the same regarding the judge, but that is what I was told and the state's attorney I spoke to later confirmed it. The judge was going out of office so had he approved the appeal it would have been heard by someone else. The driver's insurance paid, just as did my own and the property owner's. The only party that has totally denied any role in it has been Ford.

Thanks, trying to separate the driver's responsibility from the manufacturer's responsibility is what I have found the most frustrating given the difficulty of proving what really happened. Most people just blindly say it is the driver's fault because he paniced and did not respond as he should have. However, if the car was defective and that defect was what triggered the panic, then should not the manufacturer be held accountable? Should they not at least make the issue known rather than attempting to cover it up? Perhaps if the manufacturers would admit that the problem is real, they could develop some strategies for drivers to cope with the situation. In my case there were many things that the driver could have done to minimize the damage and injuries inflicted, but how many of us can honestly say that if placed in the same circumstances we would not have panicked as well? When something happens that quickly you usually tend to react from instinct with muscle response being governed by muscle memory; that is why extreme sports enthusiasts drill for all possible disaster contingencies, in the hopes that in the event of a real emergency they will be able to react without having to stop and think first. How many drivers on the roads today have similar training to fall back on?

Well I could have said all of that, but I thought I would try telling the truth rather than sink to Ford's level. Let me guess, you must be upper management. I hope that if you ever find yourself and your family in a similar situation that the bystanders do not know your true personaility. Call me crazy, but I would likely have done the same for you and yours even if I did know you prior to the event.

I have no idea how the car got put into gear that night, keep in mind that the car was a good ways away from me when everything first started to happen. Some have said that the car appeared to jump into gear, while others have speculated that the engine started reving after the driver had shifted into drive, while still others have specualted that he might have shifted into gear thinking that would slow the engine back down. I have seen transmissions fail for no reason while others seem to be able to just keep taking as much punishment as you can dish out to them. I could specualte about the factories the parts being built in and the quality of those employees, and how certain days see shoddy work being passed through, but that would just be my speculation based upon rumors that have grown out of the industry. I posted this in the hopes of finding a few who could add some possibilities to explore, while making the information available to others who might be experiencing similar issues. Being an American does have its upside.

You know, I had the same initial thoughts given my past encounters with the legal profession (Shakespere had the best answer.) Then I saw how much these guys were willing to do to help me out while I was unable to work and support myself; they were going to the extreme of taking money from their personal accounts to make sure I had a roof over my head and that there was food in the house for my son and I. Sure they had every intention of recoupning their generosity later on, but they knew it was a gamble. Had these guys been half as greedy as everyone wants to show them to be, I would have seen not the first penny due to expenses (medical costs primarily.) However, they opted to wait until the end and urged many of the medical offices to do the same just so I would have something to live on for a few months. They knew that going to trial was a huge risk for us, and they left the final decision up to me. They also knew that the settlement offer would not have paid off my bills at the time, let alone provide for future care. We gambled and we lost, but that does not mean I have to stop seeking justice. I would not wish what I have been through on any other living thing, so I will not stop until something positive comes out of this. Call me what you will, most days I hurt far too bad to be concerned with how others view me, not that I really cared before the accident.

My initial thought was this this was the result of teenagers drinking and showing off, just the way the car lurched forward. Believe me when I say that it did take a while before I would open my mind to any other possibility. Early on I knew very little of what had happened that night; my memories were a bit scattered due to the massive trauma as well as the amount of medication that I was originally placed on. Once the cobwebs began to clear and I was able to focus a bit more clearly on the events that had transpired that night, I soon saw that the level of destruction was a bit on the extreme side, much more than you would expect from a driver error. That is what started me diggin into other possibilities. Yes, it was my attorneys who first suggested the instant acceleration issues, but as a researcher I opted to dig up my own information on the subject. Yes, the driver was at fault, but then he never denied his responsibility; to this date, Ford Motors is the only one that has not owned up to their share of the burden. It is now ten years later, with the American tax payers footing the numerous medical bills that have amounted over that time. If I was after money I wouold have Billy boy in court right now suing him for plagarism; my goal is to show that yes their is a potential defect here and hopefully see that what I went through never happens to anyone ever again. That will only happen when Ford takes ownership of the problem and takes steps to correct it, rather than playing the numbers game.

To everyone on the Ford Motors Management Team, please read the following paper recently published by Dr. Anthony Anderson, a prominent electrical engineering consultant. Despite your best claims that there is no solid evidence to suggest that your cruise control units can and do fail causing accidents such as the one I was involved in ten years ago, science seems to be saying otherwise. You can continue to ignore your responsibilities and blame problems such as these on the cnsumer, your very customer base that supports you and your families, or you can break with tradition and do the right thing. How many more innocent victims will be maimed, or worse perish, before you realize that this problem is already larger than you ever hoped it would become. CRES2007_0001_paper.pdf

Hyat, et.al vs Ford Case was filed in Hidalgo County, TX and went to trial in June 2000 with a verdict returned during the second week of July. We filed an appeal based upon the fact that the one day my doctors allowed me into the courtroom I noticed that one of the jurors was a former student of mine who had full knowledge of what had happened as well as my plans to leave the area as soon as the trial was over. I want to say the appeal was filed in late August or September of 2000, but I cannot recall the exact date. I was notified around the end of November that we lost by default on the appeal since the sitting judge did not bother to respond within the specified time limit. Thanks BTW, if you find yourself involved in other instant acceleration cases, you might find the following a very interesting read: A. F. Anderson PhD BSc CEng FIEE (2007). Reliability in Electromagnetic Systems : The role of electrical contact resistance in maintaining automobile speed control system integrity CRES2007_0001_paper.pdf

That seems to be what most people think Mathew, and certainly what management hopes that they continue to think. Read the following to see that this is not always the case: A. F. Anderson PhD BSc CEng FIEE (2007). Reliability in Electromagnetic Systems : The role of electrical contact resistance in maintaining automobile speed control system integrity. I have attached this file and hope that it works. CRES2007_0001_paper.pdf

I will make a deal with you, if I ever find myself in that situation again and it involves you or your children I will try my best to refrain from helping. No promises though, as I would likely do it again even if it was just you about to be crushed and I don't even know you. I have accepted my responsibility for what happened just as the driver has,but how does that negate the responsibility of Ford? The fact remains that something happened to cause the driver to loose control of his vehicle, and that something goes beyond what Ford wants everyone to believe. If you think I am so wrong, then why does it bother you so much? I read what I consider to be unfounded rantings I typically just ignore it and move on, but you seem offended for some reason. That can usually be shown to be indicative of seeing some truth in what has been said and wishing to hide it rather than see the truth exposed. You must work in upper management at Ford as that seems to be common trait among those I have talked to these past 9 years.

Gee, it has been a few years since I made my A's in both analog and digital circuits but I can still recall how electricity flows. Everytime power goes into something and then stops, there will be a slight amount of reversed current (it does not just magically disappear once the switch is turned off.) The problem shown to affect the units on question was overtime they would degrade to the point where this "backflush" charge was enough to activate them, not hard to do considering they were wired to have pwer from the get go. Repeating the story here may do little more than to convince one person that they should think twice before considering owning a Ford; if I accomplish that much I will feel satisfied. Why do you feel so threatened by me telling what happened to me? Yes 10 years have passed and while many of these cars are now off the roads, a number still remain in operation. Where do you think Ford's popularity comes from, those who cannot afford better vehicles. Prior to meeting these guys I would have agreed that they were probably coaching to some extent, but the truth is they would rather have seen me recover than collect. Not everyone in this world is motivated by the all-mighty dollar, there are a few who put personally responsibilities and integrity above all else. I told Ford early on if they could give me back what I lost that night I would gladly pay them everything I had as well as everything I would ever have. My respect for the legal profession used to be absolutley zero, just as my faith in Ford used to be a lot stronger (ironic how life turns out sometimes, isn't it.) These guys stood by me even after the case was lost and the appeals turned down and remain my friends to this day. So why post here, why not? I have maintained from the beginning if Ford could show where my line of thinking was flawed then I would listen, but so far all Ford has offered is one lie after another along with the attitudes that have been shown on this web site. I was a mathematician by trade, and as such I have never accepted anything as being absolute. Some ideas are more plausible than others and some have more adequate proofs to support their existence, but most everything is based upon a weaker summise somewhere along the line. I am not bitter and I am not looking for a huge windfall from Ford, I just want them to accept their share of the respionsibility for what happened that night. Some may say that their offer to settle prior to trial was merely a cost of doing business, I say it was an admission of some guilt. Some may say the tactics used by theior lawyers at trial to ban evidence ansd ask questions that had absolutely nothing to do with the case at hand were just legal moves, I see them as tactics aimed at hiding and/or disguising the truth. This is America and as a proud veteran I will cling to my right to voice my opnion when I think I am right. I have stated the facts as I know them to be here, and I am more than willing to hear counter arguments that may possibly change my opinion of the facts. I will also be glad to do this without resorting to namecalling or other juvenile acts that I have witnessed thus far. The internet is a wonderful thing as it allows for the dispersion of knowledge across all boundaries; sadly, it also allows for small-minded individuals to cherish a feeling of superiority by attacking others while hiding behind a keyboard. I wonder how many of the insults hosted here would be made face to face. My selfesteem is fine as I fight everyday to make progress over the last. I have never been a quitter and I do not plan to start now, nor will I ever close my mind to what is happening in the world around me. If that sounds wrong to you, so be it as you are just as entitled to your opinion as I am mine.

Yes I did, and as a result a mother and her then six-year-old son are still alive. No need to worry about your own manly pride as you seem to have already discovered that the intermet allows little people such as yourself to live out those dreams of being more powerful than reallity allows for. I do hate to disappoint you by my savings were all spent on medical bills and attempting to recover after the insurance collected had been exhausted. I did not loose a dime attempting to sue Ford, but those who represented me lost big time. It is funny how most folks think lawyers are little more than land sharks yet these guys continued to help me even after the case had been lost. Your rhetoric here has done much to add to my beliefs of what type of individual works for Ford, no wonder the company cannot act responsibly.

This happened at a drive-in theater just as everyone was starting to leave, so I am sure the driver was more concerned with steering away from kids than reaching down to turn off the ignition (I cannot say for sure though as I was not there with him at the time.) When the carnage was finally over, an off-duty DPS officer did reach in and turn the ignition off to stop the tires from slinging gravel everywhere. The argument makes as much sense (to me at least) as Ford's argument that the driver slammed down on the gas by mistake (if that was the case, then what facilitated his need to apply such quick and sustaining force?) I have never said that Ford was 100% responsible, but I do feel that product defect contributed greatly. It has been almost 10 years since that night and these devices continue to fail because (unlike Billy boy using my own words to say that even one life is too many) the powers that be see more profit in fighting potential court cases than fixing the problem. Think about where these older models cars are likely to appear: shopping center parking lots, high school parking lots...i.e. places where young kids who will not know how to respond are most likely to be present. Are your convictions strong enough that you would risk the lives of your children? Those are the dragons that I seek to slay.