Total Injury

A Hampton County, SC judge rejected an appeal by Ford Motor Co. to overturn a $31 Million verdict in a 2001 automobile accident that left a 12-year old athlete and Olympic hopeful with head injuries so severe that he can not play sports again. Jesse Branham III spent three months in the hospital and was actively pursuing a dream to join the U.S. Olympic karate team.  Branham had been named among the nation’s best for his age group. In a 2001 accident, Branham was ejected from a 1987 Ford Bronco in a rollover accident. Branham’s father sued Ford Motor Co. for “knowingly manufacturing and selling a vehicle that was “unreasonably prone to roll over,” and was awarded $31 in damages against the automaker by a Hampton County jury in October.