$10.6 Million New Jersey Personal Injury Verdict for Woman's Injuries in Rollover Truck Accident
A Superior Court jury in New Brunswick has just recently awarded a $10.6 million personal injury verdict to a Toms River woman who suffered a paralyzed right arm after her 1997 Ford Explorer rolled over. Specifically, Rebekah Zakrocki-Parks was on her way to work on the Garden State Parkway in November of 2000 when the throttle on her truck got stuck. When the gas pedal became unstuck, Zakrocki-Parks’ truck surged forward and rolled over. Zakrocki-Parks’ arm was ejected through the sunroof during the rollover and consequently crushed and partially amputated. Following her truck accident injuries, she would have more than 20 surgeries on her arm and shoulder in order to reattach the arm.
The New Jersey personal injury attorneys of Zakrocki-Parks alleged in their client’s personal injury lawsuit that Ford Motor Company and Freehold Ford were aware that other Explorer drivers were experiencing throttle problems as early as 1996. They also claimed that these rollover accidents were occurring when drivers applied extra pressure to their gas pedals in order to combat the accumulation of sludging. They further said that this risk was even more significant in SUVs because they have a higher center of gravity than other vehicles and are more prone to rollover to begin with.
Following a four week trial and two days of deliberation, the jury came to the verdict in favor of the now 28-year-old Zakrocki-Parks. The approximate personal injury verdict came out to $10,668,799.89 in damages.