McALLEN, Texas — Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. reached a settlement Friday in a $1 billion lawsuit filed by a Texas family after an accident that left a woman paralyzed. The amount was not disclosed.
The settlement was announced shortly after a federal jury began a fourth day of deliberations in the first case to go to trial since a massive Firestone tire recall.
U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela brought jurors into the courtroom at 10:15 a.m. and told them, "The parties have reached an agreement for an undisclosed amount."
The lawsuit was brought by Dr. Joel Rodriguez, a physician whose 39-year-old wife, Marisa, is paralyzed and must use a wheelchair after the crash of a Ford Explorer with Firestone tires on a Mexican road in March 2000.
Rodriguez's lawyers say the crash was caused by a defective tire.
Testifying last week, Rodriguez said his children, including 4-year-old Joel Jr., are now uncomfortable around their mother, who has an IQ of 79 and must be fed through a tube.
"He wouldn't even climb up to the bed or be near her because he was scared. He would tell me that 'my mama is dead,"' Rodriguez said.
Firestone lawyers, however, have blamed the crash on Ford, saying the faulty design of the sport utility vehicle made tires lose their tread. They said other vehicles wouldn't have rolled over after a similar tire failure.
While the jury was deliberating Friday, the lawyers in the case were seen going behind closed doors in a room near the courtroom.
After Vela announced the settlement, he recommended that jurors not speak to reporters about the case, saying their comments could affect other cases.
Federal officials have linked more than 200 deaths to accidents involving Firestone tire failures on Ford Explorers.