Settlement Reached in Firestone Case

Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has reached a settlement with a Texas family in their $1 billion suit over an accident that left a woman paralyzed, news services reported Friday.

The settlement was announced shortly after the jury began its fourth day of deliberations by U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela. Terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed, according to the Associated Press.

Bridgestone/Firestone is a major supplier to the trucking industry, although truck tires were not among those in which defects were found.

The suits stem from last year’s allegations that tire blowouts on Ford Explorer led to rollovers, which caused 203 deaths and an additional 700 injuries have occurred on sport-utility vehicles, Reuters reported.

Ford and the tire maker have engaged in a bitter public divorce over the incidents.

Ford was also a defendant in the case, but previously settled with the plaintiffs for $6 million, Reuters said.

7742