Tire lawsuit filed in fatal SoCal crash

Tire lawsuit filed in fatal SoCal crash

	Published : Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:50 By : Agencies Print this Story

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A lawsuit claims a defective tire caused a pickup truck crash on a Southern California freeway that killed five family members.

The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court, accuses Continental Tire North America Inc. of wrongful death, negligence, product liability and breach of implied warranty.

It was filed on behalf of two women whose mother, father and 4-year-old brother died in the March 15 crash.

Two others died and two children were hurt when the 2000 Ford F-150 pickup went out of control on Interstate 10 in Ontario, struck a tree and then a wall.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation but a left rear tire that lost its tread was taken by the California Highway Patrol for examination.

'It's one of the factors being investigated,' CHP Officer Sean Cooper said.

The lawsuit claims the tire had a manufacturing defect, lost its tread and caused the crash.

The tire, which was purchased new in March 2006, was the same size and type as the model that was recalled in 2002 because there was a chance that the tread could detach, said Federico Sayre, the attorney who filed the suit.

The tire company, based in Charlotte, N.C., issued a statement saying its 'thoughts and well wishes are with the families involved in the accident.'

'At this time we have not had the opportunity to inspect the tires or the vehicle involved,' the statement said. 'We understand that a lawsuit has been filed in California. We will take all necessary steps to thoroughly investigate this matter.'

The suit was filed on behalf of sisters Yuri Camacho, 23, and Virginia Camacho, 21, both of Madera. They were not in the truck at the time of the crash that killed their parents, Prisca Malagon Camacho, 40, and Rene Camacho Pena, 42, along with their 4-year-old brother, Jordy Camacho Malagon.

Also killed were Malagon Camacho's sister-in-law, Mercedes Malagon Ortiz, 31, and Ortiz's 9-year-old daughter, Raquel Malagon Camacho.

A 10-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy who had been in a car seat were injured. They are cousins of Yuri and Virginia Camacho. The 3-year-old lost one leg below the knee but both boys are expected to survive, Sayre said.

According to Sayre, the Camacho family was originally from a farm town in Guanajuato, Mexico. The parents lived and worked in the Central Valley community of Madera for some years but they and other victims were living in Ontario, east of Los Angeles, at the time of the crash.