• Clean and Safe Transportation



• Power to Protect: Regulatory Policy



• Consumer Protections




• Take Action!

whoseStatement of Palmella Rainford

April 23, 2002

Six years ago, I was driving a Ford Aerostar van in West Palm Beach when we were struck in the side by a car that had run a stop sign. There were five of us in the car. My son Jamaal, who was almost seven at the time, was in second rear seat, strapped into an adult belt as required under Florida law. But due to the poor fit of the belt, he rolled out of the shoulder harness and stretched out over the lap belt. He suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. No one else was seriously hurt – not my 4-year-old daughter in a child restraint system, nor my 10-year-old son in an adult lap-shoulder belt who was sitting on the side where we were struck. Jamaal was on the far side.

We sued Ford, and the company claimed that booster seats are merely for comfort and convenience, not safety. Well that’s just not true. It is most definitely a safety issue. It came out at the trial that Ford knew their designs were not protecting children. They knew. They did nothing about it. And they didn’t tell anyone.

What we need is a solution that works for children of Jamaal’s age and size. Ford said integrated child seats in double shoulder harnesses are the safest. Cars should have built-in restraint systems so that when a crash happens, children are given at least as much of a chance to survive as adults get. Our children are too precious to give them anything but the strongest safety measures we can.

###

In 1996, Jamaal Walker, then 6, was heading home with his family from church choir practice in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was sitting in the rear seat on the driver’s side of the family’s 1992 Ford Aerostar minivan. His mother was driving. When they were less than a mile from home, the van was struck on the passenger side (not Jamaal’s side) by a Chevrolet Cavalier whose driver had run a stop sign. The van spun around and was forced off the road. Jamaal was wearing an adult lap/shoulder belt, as required by Florida law, but it didn’t protect him. He was propelled out of the belt with such force that his spine stretched (called "spinal distraction"). Jamaal is now a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. He was the only one seriously hurt in the crash; those seated on the side of the van that was struck escaped with minor injuries.

Palmella Rainford is Jamaal’s mother. She is a hair stylist working at J.C. Penny’s in the Palm Beach Mall and together with her husband has six children. After the crash, she sued Ford on Jamaal’s behalf, alleging that the company was aware that its failure to address child restraint needs of 4- to 8-year-olds would lead to deaths and injuries. The case went to trial this year and settled in March, just before closing arguments were scheduled to begin.

more resources

Because Public Citizen does not accept funds from corporations, professional associations or government agencies, we can remain independent and follow the truth wherever it may lead. But that means we depend on the generosity of concerned citizens like you for the resources to fight on behalf of the public interest. If you would like to help us in our fight, click here.