Bridgestone/Firestone settles another Texas case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 30)—Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has settled for an undisclosed amount a personal injury case filed in a Texas state court. Mario Gonzalez Sr. sued after an accident in July 2000 when a Firestone tire failed on his 1998 Ford Explorer. Gonzalez's wife Marisa was killed in the accident and his son Alfredo seriously injured. The case is still set to go to trial Sept. 10 against Ford Motor Co. in the state district court in Brownsville, but Ford attorneys reportedly will meet with Gonzalez's lawyers in Detroit to discuss a settlement. A Bridgestone/Firestone spokeswoman declined to discuss how many personal injury cases have been filed against the Nashville-based tire maker, or how many have been settled to date