Families Urge Ford to Install Fuel Tank Shields on Town Car, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis

Families, Ford Settle Lawsuits Arising From Three Sisters' Fiery Deaths

MOCKSVILLE, N.C., Jan. 19 -- The following is issued by Perry & Haas of Corpus Christi, TX:

The families of three women who burned to death in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine fuel tank fire settled their lawsuits against Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday, January 18, 2006, in Mocksville, North Carolina. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

The family today called on Ford Motor Company to install life-saving fuel tank shields on all vehicles with the fuel system design that took the lives of their daughters.

"We are asking Ford today to extend fuel tank protective shields to all Lincoln Town Cars, Ford Crown Victorias and Mercury Grand Marquis, so that millions more drivers will be protected. We know that the shields have been tested and shown to work in crashes of up to 100 miles per hour. This is a great safety accomplishment; it is a level of safety that should be available to all who ride in these cars. It should not take more deaths to make this happen. As Mr. Ford says in his TV ad -- every life is worth saving," said Ricky D. Howell, the women's father.

"One of the important functions of civil lawsuits is to bring hidden information to light, and in doing so, make us all safer. The family availed themselves of this right and we all believe countless numbers of lives will be saved as a result," said attorney David Kirby, of Raleigh, NC.

"Ford has already shown in the case of the Crown Victoria police car that it can be responsive to public concerns about safety and loss of life. It has added protections to the Town Car stretch limousine as a result of this case. Ford continues to have the opportunity to save many more lives by protecting all these models, if it chooses to take it," added attorney David Perry, of Corpus Christi, TX.

"We have been sustained by an outpouring of love and support from our family, friends, the community of Mocksville, our church and our pastor," said Brenda Howell, the women's mother. "Their love and prayers and our faith in God has sustained us and will continue to sustain us in the years ahead."

Tara Howell Parker, 29, of Charlotte, NC, Mysti Howell- Poplin, 24, and Megan Howell, 16, both of Mocksville, were killed September 10th, 2003, while returning home in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine from a concert in Greensboro. The limousine had been rented with a professional driver to provide an extra measure of safety for the young women on a special sister night out together. The vehicle was stopped in heavy traffic when it was rear- ended by a drunk driver in a pickup truck. The women were trapped inside the vehicle when its fuel tank exploded, burning them alive. Estimates from experts on both sides concluded that the impact speed was less than 60 mph.

Families of the three women had sued Ford, maker of the Lincoln Town Car, claiming that the Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine should have been equipped with fuel tank shields for protection against fuel tank rupture and catastrophic fires when rear-ended. Experts concluded that the shields would have prevented the fuel tank punctures and the sisters would have survived the impact.

The Lincoln Town Car, Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis make up Ford's "Panther" line of passenger cars. This is the only major car platform sold in North America with the fuel tank located outside the protection of the rear axle. Unlike other cars, the fuel tank sits "sandwiched" between the rear axle and the trunk and within the cars' rear "crush zone" -- the area of the car that absorbs the impact from rear collisions. In these cars, rear impact is more likely to rupture or puncture the fuel tank, releasing fuel that can then be ignited by sparks.

In 2002, Ford paid to retrofit approximately 350,000 Crown Victoria police cruisers with the shields following the deaths of numerous police officers. Ford, at that time, rejected calls to place the shields on non-police cars, saying, "This is not a civilian issue." In September, 2005, Ford offered the shields to Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine dealers and owners; however the automaker has steadfastly refused to notify the public about the fire dangers of these cars and the availability of protective shields.

At least five million Panther cars without shields are estimated to be in use on roads today.

For more information about this issue, go to http://www.crownvictoriasafetyalert.com/ .