Mexican crash victim calls for expanded Firestone recall

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Jan. 26)—A Mexican man who lost several members of his family in the crash of a General Motors sports-utility vehicle is calling on Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. to expand its 6.5 million tire recall to include tires made in Mexico. Jose Hernandez is suing GM and Bridgestone/Firestone over the Aug. 3, 2000, crash of a GM Silverado near Guadalajara, which occurred when a rear Firestone FR480 tire on the vehicle experienced tread separation and caused the SUV to roll over. Seven members of the Hernandez and Macias families were killed and two others seriously injured. Bridgestone/Firestone recently recalled 8,000 tires made in its Cuernavaca, Mexico, plant, but that is "a drop in the bucket" compared with the number that should be recalled, Doug Allison, a Corpus Christi attorney representing Hernandez, said in a press release. In a prepared statement, Bridgestone/Firestone said, "It is hard to find words to express our sadness over the accident," but added that "a single accident cannot be taken as proof that an entire line of tires should be recalled."