ST. LOUIS - DaimlerChrysler was not responsible for a head-on crash that killed three people in 2003, a city court jury ruled. Attorneys for Bobby Fultz argued that a defective design caused the right front tire to break away from his Dodge Dakota pickup, which caused the crash on Oct. 1, 2003. But the jury sided with DaimlerChrysler, whose attorneys argued that Fultz was under the influence of prescription drugs that caused him to swerve into oncoming traffic.
Fultz's truck slammed into a Volvo, driven by Joshua Bessinger, 19. Bessinger and his two passengers, Chelsee Cherryholmes, 18, and Matthew Carter, 20, were killed instantly. Fultz suffered crippling injuries. Cherryholmes' parents also sued DaimlerChrysler, but settled shortly after the Fultz trial began. Settlement details were not released.
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