Jury Awards Widow $3.6M In Failed Body Armor Lawsuit
The widow of a police officer, who died when the protective vest he was wearing failed to halt a fired bullet, was awarded $3.6 million to compensate for her losses and suffering.
In 2003, the 27-year-old police officer pulled over a drug addict and ex-convict during a routine traffic stop. He was shot in the chest and killed because the body armor did not prevent the bullet from wounding him.
The product liability lawsuit filed against the vest manufacturer, Second Chance Armor Inc. and the Japanese fiber-maker Toyobo Co., claims that the companies failed to warn consumers of the product’s defects, which directly resulted in the death of a police officer.
The San Diego County Superior Court jury found the vest makers liable for the damages because they neglected to warn the officer that the synthetic fibers on the vest would degrade over time causing the body armor to fail.
Evidence presented in court also proved that Zylon synthetic fibers, used on the vests, did indeed wear out with age.