Paz-Orjales v. Ford Motor Company was a catastrophic injury lawsuit against Ford Motor Company following a rollover accident in which the roof of a 2005 Ford F‑350 Super Duty collapsed. Passenger Carlos Paz‑Orjales was left permanently quadriplegic. The case was significant because it held Ford Motor Company accountable for alleged roof strength defects and resulted in a settlement that recognized the severe, life altering injuries caused by the vehicle’s design failure.Â
Case Background
On December 20, 2016, the plaintiff, Carlos Paz-Orjales, was a fully seat-belted passenger in the defendant’s Ford 2005 F-350 Super Duty King Ranch Truck being driven by Yokiel Arencibia in Osceola County, Florida. During that trip, Mr. Arencibia lost control of the Ford truck causing it to roll over. In the accident, the Ford’s roof crushed in above Mr. Paz-Orjales, severely damaging his spine and permanently rendering him a quadriplegic.
On May 16, 2017, Cohen Milstein filed an Amended Complaint on behalf of Carlos Paz-Orjales against defendants Ford Motor Company and Yokiel Arencibia, the driver of the vehicle, for the catastrophic injuries he suffered in the accident. Mr. Paz-Orjales alleged that the roof structure of the Ford F-350 was defective and unstable, and caused his injury.
In September 2018, Cohen Milstein successfully settled this lawsuit against Ford Motor Company.
The case is Orjales v. Ford Motor Company, Case No. 492017CA001158PL Div 20, in the Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, Osceola County, Florida