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Conversion Van Rollover Kills Family Member - Van roof adhered with only glue -

NORFOLK, VA- On the morning of December 22, 2000, the Billups/Hayes family were beginning a family vacation to Disney World in Orlando. Pam Billups was driving the family's Dodge Conversion Van with passengers - husband Mike, two children, Kirbi and Kourtnei and Pam's mother Rosalyn Hayes.

While traveling southbound on I-95, the van abruptly veered to the left and Pam Billups lost control and ultimately the van rolled over. During the rollover, the van's plastic top came off in one piece causing a huge opening and ejecting Rosalyn, Kirbi and Kourtnei from the vehicle. Rosalyn died at the scene, and the others received serious injuries.

The Billups purchased their 1993 Chrysler Van from Virginia Beach Dodge, who represented the safety of the van. This Dodge Ram Van was different from the normal van in that it was a converted van. This meant that Chrysler, after designing and manufacturing the van with a welded steel roof, than shipped it to American Vans, a conversion company in the Southeast. Once American Vans came into custody of the van, they cut the van's steel roof structure off and thus compromised the structural integrity and safety that Chrysler had build in. This was all done with Chrysler's knowledge and approval.

American Vans had removed among other things; the factory original welded steel roof and roof bows, and replaced it with a raised plastic roof cap that was attached to the van solely by glue. The converted Dodge Van was then shipped and sold to the dealerships with representations that the vehicle was safe.

Chrysler was negligent in its conduct that resulted in placing upon the open market, a conversion van that did not provide reasonable occupant protection from ejection through an open roof in rollover accidents.

Chrysler encouraged the sale of the vans with the factory steel roof removed, both by endorsing conversion company promotional material in directories sent to their dealers and by a marketing program to consumers promoting vehicle safety.

Chrysler knew that American Vans had little, if any, automotive engineering experience, and what little they did have was not applied to any safety engineering analysis of the modified roof structure. Chrysler did not consider whether the safety and crash protection provided by the factory steel roof was being compromised. Chrysler allowed the van to be sold with a plastic roof that was untested and in violation of basic automotive engineering standards.

Chrysler knew that the raised roof conversion van product was grossly defective and dangerous, or made no effort to insure that it was crashworthy in the light of the danger presented.