[StBernard] Louisiana jury awards $5 million for death of baby injured by Jeep Grand

[Westley Annis]

Louisiana jury awards $5 million for death of baby injured by Jeep Grand
Cherokee 

The Associated Press 
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 
NEW ORLEANS: Chrysler LLC will appeal a jury's $5 million award to a couple
whose unborn son was fatally injured when their 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
went into reverse and pinned the mother against a brick carport column, a
company lawyer said Wednesday.

"The tragic fact is that Mr. Guillot made a critical mistake during a
chaotic moment," company lawyer Louann Van Der Wiele said in an email. "If
he had placed the vehicle in park, shut off the engine, removed the keys or
set the parking brake, this accident never would have happened.

A jury in Chalmette, Louisiana, found differently Monday awarding nearly
$2.8 million (€1.8 million) to Judi Guillot, the baby's mother, $2.1 million
(€1.3 million) to her husband, $80,000 (€50,871) to the two together, and
$125,000 (€79,486) to Madison Guillot, the couple's daughter who was 3 at
the time and saw the accident from her car seat.

Juli Guillot was on her way to a hospital to give birth in May 1999. As she
and her husband, August, were about to leave their Chalmette home, Guillot
stepped out to retrieve her young daughter's song book. Her husband got out
to get his cell phone from the SUV's hatchback. According to the lawsuit, as
he approached the rear, the SUV began rolling backward and pinned his wife.
The lawsuit charged the Cherokee was in park, but spontaneously shifted into
reverse.

The baby, Collin Jacob, was delivered alive, but died 2 1/2 weeks later.
Doctors attributed the death to brain injuries sustained when the Cherokee
pinned Juli Guillot.

In the e-mailed statement from Chrysler, the company sympathized with the
Guillots, but blamed the father saying he left the car in reverse when he
went to retrieve his cell phone.

Guillot told St. Bernard Parish sheriff's deputies after the accident that
he left the SUV in reverse. A grand jury declined to bring a negligent
homicide charge against him.

But his lawyers said Wednesday that Guillot made the statement because he
could think of no other reason the SUV would back up. They said he learned
there might be another reason in 2001, when a Los Angeles Times reporter
investigating Grand Cherokee "rollbacks" contacted the couple.

Chrysler recalled 1.6 million 1993-1998 model Grand Cherokees after
complaints the vehicles could shift suddenly from park to reverse. However,
the company said neither its own investigation nor one by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration found any defect.

The Guillots' SUV was a 1999 model, not part of the recall. But the jury
found its design was unreasonably dangerous.

The family said they wanted to hold the company accountable.