Four-Week Jury Trial Secures Defense Verdict in Van Conversion Roof Intrusion Case

Our attorneys represented DM Conversions in a case arising from a one-vehicle accident on September 22, 2012, in South Carolina. The plaintiffs, along with three other couples, were riding in a 2000 Ford Econoline 250 van when the driver lost control on an exit ramp, causing the vehicle to roll over one and one-quarter times and crash into an embankment. Keith Locy, seated in the front, sustained severe injuries, including paralysis from the chest down due to a severed thoracic spine.

The van was initially designed and manufactured by Ford Motor Company and delivered to DM Conversions as an incomplete vehicle. DM Conversions added a high-top conversion with a raised roof. Plaintiffs alleged that Ford designed and manufactured a defective roof and that DM Conversions further weakened the roof during the conversion, which they claimed caused excessive roof intrusion and contributed to Mr. Locy’s injuries. Ford was represented by separate counsel.

The case was tried to verdict over four weeks in March 2022 in Outagamie County, WI. The jury returned a defense verdict for DM Conversions, finding that DM did not manufacture a defective roof and was not negligent. While the jury found Ford negligent, it determined that Ford’s negligence was not a substantial factor in causing any enhanced injuries to Mr. Locy.

The defense team demonstrated that there was no scientific proof the roof conversion contributed to the injuries and that the catastrophic nature of the accident was the ultimate cause of Mr. Locy’s injuries.