Multivehicle Wreck Causes Death and Injuries

FORT WORTH — A fatal multivehicle crash on Loop 820 on July 10 was started when a Fort Worth city bus for the disabled struck a Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to police reports.

Rodney Wood, 36, the driver of the Jeep, was killed in the chain-reaction collision involving five vehicles on eastbound Northeast Loop 820 at Mark IV Parkway. The collisions started at 5:35 p.m.

According to police, the T driver said the Jeep slammed on its brakes. The bus then struck the Grand Cherokee, which then hit a Chevrolet TrailBlazer. A man in a Chrysler 300 said he tried to avoid a Dodge pickup coming from behind but was rear-ended.

According to an earlier police account, the TrailBlazer also struck the pickup.

The police report cites failure to control bus speed as the cause of the accident.

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority is conducting its own investigation, and officials emphasize that the police report may not be the only report on the incident. Asked whether there had been any disciplinary action taken against the driver, officials declined to discuss what they called personnel matters.

It is customary for The T to conduct post-accident drug and alcohol screening of a driver, spokeswoman Joan Hunter said.

Ronnie Ware, 34, who was driving the T bus, received minor burns on his hands and arms while helping a passenger to safety. Ware will be recognized by the board for "professionalism and quick actions" in helping the passenger, Hunter said.

Why was there a fire?

According to earlier police reports, the Jeep caught fire, which spread to the bus and the Chevy.

That detail caught the attention of a national auto safety watchdog because it involved a vehicle with a possible history of tank fires — and because Chrysler is likely shielded from liability in such cases because of its recent bankruptcy.

"There’s a history of tank fires after rear-end impacts," said Clarence Ditlow of the Washington-based Center for Auto Safety.

Up through 2007, there were 164 fire crashes involving Jeeps, according to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration figures. The possible hazard involves Cherokees made between 1993 and 2004, Ditlow said.

The Grand Cherokee in the Fort Worth crash was made in 2004.

While there is no conclusive evidence that a tank fire was involved, if it were to be the case, it would be the first defect case since the Chrysler bankruptcy all but eliminated product liability claims against Chrysler on future crashes.

Because of the way assets were sold "free and clear" from bankrupt Chrysler to New Chrysler, consumers who would have had personal injury claims against Chrysler cannot have those claims extended against New Chrysler. Several consumer groups have protested, so it is unlikely that the issue will arise with other bankrupt automakers. However, the issue has already come up with New Chrysler.

On July 2, five consumer nonprofit groups petitioned the Federal Trade Commission "to warn prospective purchasers of over 30 million used Chrysler vehicles they lack basic protections previously provided under state law, under the terms of the Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings."