NJ Man Drops Airbag Lawsuit, as Revelations Raise Questions

Eric V. Thomas, a New Jersey Dentist, has dropped his suit against the Ford Motor Company following revelations which put in question the cause of his wife’s death in an auto accident in 1997, and established that he had significantly increased the amount of her life insurance just weeks before.

Thomas sued Ford for damages, alleging that the airbag wrongfully deployed. His wife, Tracy, was found dead at the scene, and he was unconscious. Prosecutors reopened the case last October, and established that Thomas was having an affair with his current wife at the time of the accident and the insurance policy increases. They’ve also raised questions as to the cause of her death.

Forensic pathologists retained by Ford have indicated that her injuries were inconsistent with an airbag caused trauma, but may indicate that she was strangled before the accident occurred.