Harishkumar Patel was rendered quadriplegic, in 2012.
By Raif Karerat
An Indian American man was awarded $16 million after a Berien County, Michigan jury found Goodyear liable for manufacturing the faulty tires that caused an accident that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life.
Harishkumar Patel, 57, was rendered quadriplegic when his Nissan Pathfinder flipped into a ditch after a tire tread separated on July 6, 2012, on the U.S. 31 freeway.
The tire still had half of its tread life left and was perfectly maintained when it disintegrated, Craig Hilborn, one of Patel’s lawyers, informed Law360.
A previous trial in 2014 ended in mistrial after a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
“We knew from day one we wanted to see this through,” Patel’s son, Chintan Patel, said after the verdict was read Monday by the foreman of an eight-person jury.
Following the trial, which transpired over a fortnight, the jury returned a verdict saying Goodyear was negligent in the making of the tire and that the company’s negligence caused Patel’s debilitating injuries.
The jury awarded Patel $1.3 million for medical costs to date, about $7 million for future costs of 24-hour care for the rest of his life, $3 million for pain and suffering to date and $250,000 a year for pain and suffering for the rest of his life based on a life expectancy of 81, according to the Herald-Palladium.
Chintan Patel said that while the money won’t make his father whole again, it signifies justice and will allow the family to provide care for him.
“It’s certainly about more than money,” said Kevin Riddle of Birmingham, another attorney representing Patel. “It sends a message that if you sell a defective product, you’re going to be held liable in court, and that if you make a business decision to roll the dice, a jury will hold you accountable.”