Family sues Ford over truck’s defects in deadly US-131 crash

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — An Indiana family has sued Ford Motor Company, stating a faulty seatbelt led to a man’s death after a crash in Alamo Township.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday at the U.S. District Courthouse in Grand Rapids. In it, the family accuses the automaker of negligence, breach of implied warranty and a failure to warn.

Harlan Slabaugh died on August 14, 2022, after his car was rear-ended on US-131. Investigators with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said his 2000 Ford 350 veered off the road and rolled several times, ejecting him from the vehicle. Slabaugh was pronounced dead at the scene.

The lawsuit claims there were defects in the driver’s seat, seat belt and door latch that caused his death.

The family requested at least $75,000 and a court-determined amount of non-economic damages for Harlan and the Slabaugh family’s physical pain and mental and emotional distress.

The lawsuit ends with a statement against the automaker, asking for “an award of exemplary damages in an amount properly calculated to punish the defendant for their despicable conduct and conscious disregard for the safety of others and to deter any such despicable conduct and conscious disregard for the safety of others in the future.”

News 8 has reached out to Ford representatives for comment.

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