TV anchor’s family suing Ford over fatal crash

Anchorwoman Polly Gonzalez was one of the most recognizable and beloved television personalities in Las Vegas. An award-winning veteran reporter, she was the community's first Hispanic prime-time anchor. She was known for her volunteer work with Hispanic youths and for urging kids to stay out of gangs.

In 2005, while returning from California, Gonzalez, 43, was killed in a single-vehicle rollover accident near Death Valley. Her two young daughters, who also were in the 2000 Ford Explorer, were injured but survived the crash.

The accident and Gonzalez's death are at the center of a civil lawsuit in District Court set to go to trial in February. Her family is suing Ford Motor Co. They claim the Ford Explorer she was driving was unsafe and contributed to her death.

The lawsuit claims the Ford Explorer's roof wasn't strong enough to withstand a rollover accident and that Gonzalez's seat belt didn't work, among other things.

The accident report stated that the left half of the Explorer's roof was crushed inward and the entire roof was buckled and bowed. Gonzalez' seat belt was found partially extended. Gonzalez, who sustained head injuries, died of blunt force trauma.

The lawsuit claims all Ford Explorers of that make and model are affected by that problem, not just the one Gonzalez was driving.

Gonzalez' lawsuit is brought by her ex-husband, Allan Mota, and her two daughters who survived the crash, Sabrina and Gabriella Mota. They are seeking damages of $10,000 or more.

Mota wouldn't comment because of the lawsuit. The attorney handling the case, Larry Semenza, also declined to comment.

Gonzalez' death inspired an outpouring of grief in the Las Vegas Valley. When fellow KLAS-TV, Channel 8 anchor Gary Waddell broke the news of Gonzalez' death on the nightly broadcast, he became choked up and his voice cracked.

"It'll be tough, so bear with us," he told viewers that night in 2005.

Hundreds gathered at her memorial service at Shadow Hills Baptist Church, and the Las Vegas City Council and Clark County Commission issued proclamations in her honor. The city of Las Vegas also named a park near Ann Road and Jones Boulevard after Gonzalez.

Ford Motor Co. and its lawyers wouldn't comment about the lawsuit.

"Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family of Polly Gonzalez," Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans said. "Because it hasn't gone to trial, it's premature for us to make any further comments at this time."

This isn't the first lawsuit against Ford alleging that the Explorer's roof is unsafe. A jury in Texas awarded the families of two people killed in a rollover crash, Paul Alaniz and Laura Benavides, $225 million during a 2002 trial, according to a series by the Detroit News on automobile roof safety.

In the trial, the families claimed the roof of a 2000-model Ford F-Series Supercab tore open during a crash. Both the victims were ejected.

The Detroit News' 2004 series found that automakers fought to keep a 33-year-old federal safety standard for vehicle roofs, even though critics believed the standards were inadequate.

In the upcoming trial related to the Gonzalez case, an expert for her family will testify that Ford knew the roof strength in the Explorer "barely met minimum safety standards for rollover protection," according to court records.

Ford's attorneys state that the Ford Explorer "exceeded the federal government's roof strength requirements."

On March 28, 2005, Gonzalez was driving on California's state Route 127 after a three-day trip visiting relatives in San Jose, her hometown. Gonzalez wanted to take the long way home so she could show her daughters the Death Valley museum and the blooming desert wildflowers.

Witnesses told California authorities that they saw her car drift to the side of the road about 17 miles north of Baker, Calif. Her attorneys believe a strong gust of wind caused the SUV to move to the side of the road. Gonzalez lost control of the vehicle, and it rolled five or six times.

At the time of the accident, she was driving between 56 and 70 mph. She and her daughters were all wearing their seat belts, according to an accident report.

She had no alcohol in her system. A toxicology report later found a small amount of pseudoephedrine, a nasal decongestant, in her blood.

Sabrina and Gabriella, who were 5 and 8 at the time, sustained minor injuries. Gabriella fractured both her feet and Sabrina had wounds to her hands.

Craig Peterson, of West Covina, Calif., was one of the first people on the scene of the accident. He and several others were driving in a caravan to go camping when they came upon the crash. He was at the scene of the crash before police or emergency workers arrived.

Peterson recalled that passers-by who stopped to help were clearing from the middle of the road clothes and shoes that were thrown from the SUV.

When Peterson told relatives in Las Vegas later about the crash, they told him that the victim was Gonzalez. "It was tragic to see it," he said.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara @reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.