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| Trial this week to affix blame for prisoners' deaths |
| By The Tennessean |
| Published: 02/22/2001 |
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Almost four years ago, a customized van loaded with prisoners destined for Florida jails rattled apart and exploded as it cruised along a Tennessee interstate, incinerating the six men who had been shackled inside a padlocked cage. This week, the federal trial that seeks to resolve who was responsible begins in a Nashville courtroom, and the U.S. District Court trial promises to shed light on the long-haul operations of a private prisoner-transport firm whose vans, laden with wanted men, parole violators and convicted felons, crisscrossed the country on behalf of public law-enforcement agencies. In a series of wrongful death and product liability claims, the families of the prisoners are suing, among others, Federal Extradition Agency Inc., the firm founded by a former Memphis bounty hunter to ferry prisoners from one jurisdiction to another. They also are suing a dealership that serviced the vehicle and Ford Motor Co., the manufacturer of the van that two FEA employees were using to transport the six men on April 3, 1997, when the van's drive shaft shook apart on the interstate. The plaintiffs have alleged the transport company was negligent for transporting the men while they were shackled inside mesh cages from which they couldn't escape. The suits also allege that Ford was negligent in not equipping the vehicle's gas tank with a shield to prevent punctures. In initial filings, FEA maintained that the fire was ''an unavoidable accident.'' Ford contends the van was designed properly and included a gas tank redesign to enhance safety. The Oakley-Keesee dealership has said that no one from FEA mentioned concerns about the drive shaft when the vehicle was brought in for an oil change and a new fuel pump just days before the fatal fire. According to court documents, the 1995 E-150 van had been vibrating severely for several days. A truck-stop mechanic crawled under the van and told the drivers they were going to have a ''U-joint problem'' with the van, which had amassed more than 246,000 miles in two years. Drivers would pick up prisoners in one jurisdiction and deliver them to another, often making a circuitous journey through several states. Transportees were caged, shackled and fed fast-food. When they arrived April 2 in Memphis, court records show, the FEA drivers told the home office about the troublesome U-joint. They had planned to stop for service but instead pressed on. They drove virtually nonstop for 24 hours, through Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The van's drivetrain finally failed on I-40 near Dickson. Vibrations from the U-joint caused the transmission housing to implode as the vehicle was traveling between 70 and 75 mph, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators. A component connecting the transmission to the drive shaft broke away, bounced off the road and lodged in the van's underside. Within seconds, gasoline and transmission fluid were afire. The two FEA employees pulled the vehicle to the roadside, but it already was too late. One of them was burned as he tried to open the passenger compartment, but the double-padlocked, FEA-designed prisoner cage proved especially secure. The men inside never had a chance to get out. They died inside the van of smoke inhalation and severe burns. |
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