How many people died in the Ford Pinto case?

Number of Deaths in the Ford Pinto Case
The Ford Pinto became infamous in the 1970s for its tendency to burst into flames if its gas tank was ruptured in a collision. The case of Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company in 1981 shed light on the dangers of the Pinto. In this case, a Ford Pinto driven by Lilly Gray was rear-ended, causing the gas tank to rupture and the car to explode in a ball of fire. Gray died as a result of the accident, and her passenger, thirteen-year-old Richard Grimshaw, suffered disfiguring burns and had to endure numerous operations. Additionally, between June 9, 1978, and the date when parts were available to repair the estimated 2.2 million vehicles, six people died in Pinto fires after a rear impact. Furthermore, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) listed a total of 27 deaths attributed to fire over the six years the Ford Pinto was manufactured.
In summary, the Ford Pinto case resulted in multiple deaths due to fires caused by rear-end collisions, with a total of at least 27 deaths attributed to fire over the six years the Ford Pinto was manufactured [[10]].

What car blew up when rear ended?

Remember the popular Ford Pinto that turned out to be a deadly ride if rear-ended? In 1970, Ford decided to move ahead with production of their new Pinto, even though their engineering crash tests showed it had a flawed design that would cause the gas tank to explode if the car was hit from behind.

Was anyone criminally charged on the Ford Pinto case?

The car manufacturer was charged with reckless homicide in the deaths of three Indiana teenagers who were killed when their Ford Pinto was hit from behind. Ford was accused of having prior knowledge of a design defect in the gas tank that would rupture in rear-end collisions.

Did Ford Pinto break the law?

The question we must ask is whether Ford violated those rules when they made the Pinto. The short answer is that they did not violate the laws of the time. They knew that they were violating laws which would come into effect soon, but they weren’t in effect yet. The law is only one of the “rules of the game,” however.

Did Ford know the Pinto was unsafe?

During the accelerated production schedule, Ford became aware of these serious risks associated with the Pinto’s fuel tank but proceeded with its manufacturing schedule anyway. Company officials also decided to proceed even though Ford owned the patent on a much safer gas tank.

How many deaths did the Ford Pinto cause?

The NHTSA investigation found that 27 deaths were found to have occurred between 1970 and mid-1977 in rear-impact crashes that resulted in a fire.

Was Ford to blame in the Pinto case?

Grimshaw and Gray’s family filed a tort action against Ford, and the jury awarded not only $2.516 million to the Grimshaws and $559,680 to the Grays in damages for their injuries, but also $125 million to punish Ford for its conduct.

Who won the Ford Pinto case?

The jury awarded plaintiffs $127.8 million in damages, the largest ever in US product liability and personal injury cases. Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company was one of the most widely publicized of the more than a hundred lawsuits brought against Ford in connection with rear-end accidents in the Pinto.

What were the consequences of the Ford Pinto case?

In the Richard Grimshaw case, in addition to awarding over $3 million in compensatory damages to the victims of a Pinto crash, the jury awarded a landmark $125 million in punitive damages against Ford. The judge reduced punitive damages to 3.5 million.

How many people died driving a Pinto?

For more than eight years afterwards, Ford successfully lobbied, with extraordinary vigor and some blatant lies, against a key government safety standard that would have forced the company to change the Pinto’s fire-prone gas tank.By conservative estimates Pinto crashes have caused 500 burn deaths to people who would …

Was the Ford Pinto a death trap?

As a result, the Pinto was highly vulnerable to lethal fires in rear-end collisions and was in fact a “fire trap” and a “death trap.” Ford decided to ignore the defect anyway, because re-design would have delayed the entry of the car into the market and caused a potential loss of market share to competitors.