Highway Safety Agency Rolls Over for Auto Industry
Gary Skinner of Graysville, Alabama was an avid fisherman with a love for music, says his wife Angela. But on July 28, 2005, Angela lost her 48-year-old husband in a rollover accident when his 1999 Ford Ranger blew a tire, causing Gary to lose control of the vehicle. As Gary's car rolled over, the roof crushed in on him, causing a fatal head injury.
Now public internal documents show that the auto industry knew as early as 1966 that their roof design was so weak that in rollover accidents it crushed occupants to death. Ford could have fixed this defect for as little as $43.13, says Public Citizen. Instead, they chose to hide this information and continue selling dangerous vehicles.