Caterpillar Tractor Co. v. Ford

This is a products liability case. The suit was brought by Helen Ford, the widow of L.L. Ford, who was killed in an unwitnessed strip mining accident on May 30, 1972, when the Caterpillar D8H tractor he was operating rolled over three-fourths of a turn and crushed him to death

At the time of the accident, the decedent had attempted to traverse a 42° slope at a 30° downward angle. Tracks indicated that he had tried once before to cut down the slope, had started to slide, and had backed up. There was conflicting evidence whether the blade of the tractor was up or down at the time of the roll

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