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Court: Tire company not liable in murder
LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. are not liable for the death of a 19-year-old woman killed by a man who gave her a lift after she got a flat tire, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday. The court upheld a lower court ruling in a case stemming from the 2000 murder of Amy Stahlecker, a freshman at Wayne State College. Prosecutors said Richard Cook, 36, of Omaha, picked up Stahlecker and later shot her. Cook was convicted of first-degree murder, and is serving a life sentence. He remains the only defendant in the wrongful death lawsuit. The woman's parents, Susan and Dale Stahlecker of Fremont, claimed in the suit that a Firestone Wilderness AT tire on their daughter's 1997 Ford Explorer failed, setting off the chain of events that resulted in her death. The lawsuit claimed Firestone was negligent in making the defective tire and Ford was negligent in putting it on one of its vehicles. The high court said the companies could not have foreseen Cook's criminal acts. Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone/Firestone has recalled millions of ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires since August 2000 after federal safety officials found they were prone to losing their tread while traveling at high speeds. At least 271 U.S. traffic deaths have been linked to the failed tires, most of which were sold with the Ford Explorer. The Stahlecker's lawyer, Richard Rensch, said Amy might not have ventured out in the early morning had she known the tires were prone to blowing up. Dan MacDonald, a spokesman for the tire company, welcomed the ruling but expressed sympathy for the Stahleckers. "They had a tragic loss. Unfortunately, no legal remedy is going to heal their pain," he said.
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