MORRILTON, Ark.—An Arkansas jury has ordered Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. to pay $1.2 million in a case brought by a dump truck driver who claimed a faulty Hankook Tire caused his injuries.
Elmer Philpot was driving his truck in 2010 when the tread on his right front tire separated, causing him to lose control and crash. The leg fractures Philpot suffered led to hip replacement surgery, the complaint said.
Expert witnesses for Philpot testified that the tread separation was caused by a defect originating in the Hankook manufacturing plant in Daejeon, South Korea, according to a news release issued by Philpot's attorneys, Kaster Lynch Farrar & Ball L.L.P.
On Sept. 8, the jury in the Circuit Court of Conway County, Ark., found Hankook 100-percent responsible for the accident, the press release said.
According to the release, the court also sanctioned Hankook for allegedly withholding information during discovery.
“We forced this company to turn over key documents, and that made a big difference during the trial,” said Bruce Kaster, an Ocala, Fla.-based attorney and a longtime specialist in tire product liability litigation.
Hankook officials could not be reached for comment.