A jury in Mississippi returned a $131 million verdict against Ford Motor Corp in a wrongful death lawsuit.

According to Jasper County Circuit Court records, the family of Brian Cole have been awarded $131 million from the automaker after Cole was killed in a rollover accident in his Ford Explorer SUV. Cole was a minor league baseball player and was being considered for the New York Mets at the time of the accident.

Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans said the company was not at fault in the accident: “This was a tragic accident and our sympathy goes out to the Cole family for their loss, but it was unfair of them to blame Ford.”

Evans claimed Cole was driving over 80 miles per hour without a seat belt at the time of the crash. Attorneys for Cole’s family, however, maintain that he was buckled in when the crash occurred. “His belt was still buckled after the accident was over but he was thrown from the car,” Cole’s family attorney Tab Turner said.

If you have lost a loved one due to the negligent or reckless actions of another party, please contact a Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., by calling 610-667-7511.