$105 Million Verdict After Firestone Truck Wheel Explodes, Shattering Worker's Face and Arm

In 1991, Randy Dorman was working as a tire service technician for Tri-Star Tire Co. in St. Louis when he began inflating a Bridgestone/Firestone RH5 multi-piece truck wheel assembly. The side ring of the wheel separated with explosive force, turning a 15-pound steel component into a projectile that struck him in the face.

The injuries were severe. Dorman suffered a fractured cheekbone, a broken jaw and mandible, fractures of both arms, and a shattered right wrist. He underwent 26 surgeries over the following years, including amputation of the middle finger of his right hand. The damage to his right arm left him with less than 30 percent of normal function.

Firestone had manufactured and mass-produced the RH5 side ring beginning in 1948. A senior product engineer from Firestone's product analysis department testified at trial that he had personally been involved in the investigation of approximately 100 cases in which RH5 wheels separated and injured or killed people, with company records documenting the hazard as far back as 1950. Despite this knowledge, Firestone did not warn tire technicians or fleet operators about the risk of explosive separation during inflation.

The case had a procedural obstacle before it reached a jury. A trial court initially granted summary judgment for Firestone, ruling that Dorman had not shown the company manufactured the specific wheel that injured him. The Missouri Court of Appeals reversed that ruling in 1999, finding that the evidence on record was sufficient for a jury to conclude the RH5 design was responsible. The case then proceeded to trial in St. Louis.

At trial, John G. Simon, then a plaintiff's lawyer at Gray & Ritter, P.C., presented the internal Firestone documents and the engineer's testimony on prior incidents. The jury deliberated for three hours before returning a verdict of $105 million for Dorman in 2000, including compensatory and punitive damages. The punitive portion reflected the jury's assessment of Firestone's conduct in continuing to sell a product it knew to be dangerous without adequate warnings. Simon went on to found The Simon Law Firm the following year, in 2001.