A bankruptcy judge has awarded the family of a Californialongshoreman a $24 million settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit broughtagainst Chrysler before the company went bankrupt.  The settlement comes after more than two years of appealsstemming from a $55 million jury verdict over a death that was caused by atransmission defect in a Dodge pickup truck.

The family of Richard Mraz filed the wrongful death lawsuitagainst Chrysler after the 38 year-old was killed when his 1992 Dodge Dakotapickup rolled over him while he was working at the Port of Los Angeles. Thefamily alleged that the truck had a defective transmission that allowed it toslip from park to reverse, resulting in a fatal head injury for Mraz. A recallwas issued for Dodge Dakota pickup trucks in 2000 to fix the defect, but thePlaintiffs argued the fix did not work.

A California jury found that Chrysler was negligent in thedesign of the vehicle and failed to execute a proper recall, awarding the $5.2million in compensation and $50 million in punitive damages.

Chrysler officials still maintain that the truck design issafe, claiming that Mraz failed to engage the parking brake and then attemptedto jump into the moving truck when it began to roll. The family, however, notedthat Chrysler received more than 1,000 complaints of similar problems with 1988through 2003 model Dodge Dakotas, continuing well after the 2000 recall.

If you or someone you know has suffered because of anaccident that resulted in the death of a loved one, contact the Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams at 215-329-3511.