Suit claims Ford Expedition safety defects caused death of LV doctor

The family of a Las Vegas oncologist killed in a rollover accident near Seligman, Ariz., is suing Ford Motor Co. and Gaudin Ford-Jaguar-Porsche of Las Vegas.

The suit says Dr. Chris Bringhurst, 37, was driving over a bridge when a wheel on his Expedition began to wobble. The vehicle then began to fish-tail, went off the road and rolled, causing Bringhurst to hang suspended and dying over his wife, who was trapped, the suit alleged. The suit says Bringhurst's wife, Kirsten, and their four children, ages 1 to 9, were severely injured.

The suit alleges Ford Expeditions are "much more prone to roll" than other vehicles, the vehicle's front seatbelts failed to function properly and had Ford "not substituted cheap glass for state of the art glass" Bringhurst's death may have been avoided.

An unnamed salesman "lauded" the Expedition's safety record to the Bringhursts after learning they were interested in a General Motors Suburban, the lawsuit states. The couple bought the Expedition in May 1998.

A Gaudin official declined comment on the allegations.

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