Man fatally run over by his own Ford truck after it malfunctions in Texas, lawsuit says
.png "A Texas man died after his Ford F-250 truck began moving on its own and ran him over, according to a lawsuit.")
A Texas man died after his Ford truck malfunctioned and ran him over, according to a lawsuit.
On June 18, Roy “Mack” Irwin, 79, was driving his 2023 Ford F-250 truck and pulled into a friend’s driveway, according to a civil complaint.
Irwin placed the truck in park and got out, the lawsuit said. A front seat passenger stayed in the truck with it running.
“Without warning or input from any human source the vehicle then began a series of strange movements,” the lawsuit said.
The truck began slowly rolling forward and backward, the lawsuit said. It did this three times, according to the suit.
Irwin saw the truck moving and tried to get in it as it rolled backward again, according to the civil complaint.
“Horrifically, Mr. Irwin was pulled underneath the front driver side resulting in the vehicle’s front tire running over his upper torso, trapping him alive until first responders arrived at the scene and freed him,” the lawsuit said.
Irwin was taken to a hospital where he later died, according to the lawsuit.
McClatchy News reached out to Ford Motor Company for comment Jan. 23 but did not immediately hear back.
“He didn’t have to die,” Jeff Wigington, the attorney representing Irwin’s daughter, told KENS. “He was a very vibrant man. He was a boot salesman.”
The incident was captured on camera, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, this type of transmission defect and malfunction has been reported before. The defect would allow the driver to place the vehicle in park, then it would shift gears on its own, according to the civil complaint.
Along with the Ford Motor Company, the lawsuit lists Bluebonnet Ford as a defendant. It says the company serviced the truck before the fatal incident.
“The vehicle was taken to Bluebonnet Ford shortly before the accident because Mr. Irwin was experiencing transmission system problems. In particular, his vehicle ‘would not stay in park,’” the complaint said. “However, Bluebonnet Ford failed to fix this problem and failed to warn Mr. Irwin that it had not been fixed.”
McClatchy News reached out to Bluebonnet Ford for comment Jan. 23 but did not immediately hear back.
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
