Program to air 10 p.m., EST May 9, 2008
PHILADELPHIA,
May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ABC's 20/20 is about to broadcast its investigation into the common but rarely publicized practice of selling old tires as new equipment. This potentially lethal aspect of tire merchandising has been linked to the 2002 death of Andrew "Andy" Moore, a gifted student and musician from Newtown, Bucks County. The segment, reported by Chief Investigative Reporter Brian Ross, is scheduled to air Friday, May 9, 2008, at 10 p.m. EST.
Moore's parents have settled a wrongful death lawsuit against Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire and other local vehicle service defendants stemming from Andy's 2002 fatal van accident caused by the sudden tread separation of a tire which had been sold to the family years earlier as new. The Firestone tire was actually nearly four-years old at the time of purchase by Robert Moore, Andy's father. Terms of the settlement are under court seal but the Moore family, beginning with the 20/20 expose, is now publicly addressing the need for action to prevent similar tragedies resulting from the sale and use of "new-old tires."
"We lost a son and his life can never be replaced," says Robert Moore, Andy's father and a resident of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. "But we can dedicate ourselves to saving lives by banning the sale of aged, potentially deadly tires and by making sure that old, unsafe tires are removed from service.
Moore asks, "How can we as a nation require expiration dates on milk and eggs, but have no such requirement for tires? Something has to change and that is why we brought the lawsuit in the first place."
The settlement came after extensive discovery and just before the civil trial was scheduled to begin before Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Arnold New. Donald F. Manchel and Jane Marton, the Philadelphia attorneys representing the Moore family, were prepared to present evidence indicating Firestone was aware that discontinued and poorly stored Firestone tires were being sold by Sunoco dealers, such as the Bucks County retailer that sold the Moore family its lethal tire. They also planned to demonstrate at trial that Firestone violated its own recommendations and warehousing policies, which called for tires to be stored in cool, dry environments away from electric motors. Manchel and Marton were both interviewed for the program.
Andy Moore was a former Boy Scout and a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist at Council Rock High School (now known as Council Rock High School North) in Newtown. On July 31, 2002 the talented trumpeter and incoming, second-year Lehigh University mechanical engineering major was driving himself and four high-school friends in his father's GMC Safari van during a dream camping trip in Ontario, Canada. Even though it still had plenty of tread, the rubber of the left rear tire tread separated as Moore rounded a curve on Highway 401, a main highway in southern Ontario.
Moore, who was wearing his seat belt, lost control of the van. It rolled several times and came to rest in a ditch. Moore and another high school classmate died. The other three passengers sustained minor injuries. They served as pall bearers at Andy's funeral.
Five years earlier, in1997, Robert Moore had bought what he thought were newly-made Firestone tires. However, it was later learned that the tires had actually been manufactured in mid-1993. Complaining about how the van and tires were handling shortly before the fatal accident, Moore had the van serviced at a local Chevrolet dealer, which rotated the front tires to the rear.
Moore's lawyers said in 2000 Congress passed the Transportation Recall, Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act (TREAD) Act in response to the Firestone/Ford rollover crisis. But, the tire maker has never recalled any old/new tires, and did nothing to warn the public, police or auto industry about the danger of aging tires.
Manchel said, "Consumers worldwide should be warned with regard to the use of old tires and the possibility of buying old tires as new, since nothing can prevent this aging process. This is an industry-wide problem not confined to Bridgestone/Firestone alone."
"Why is it that when it comes to tires," asks Robert Moore, "the only state inspection test is for tread wear and not age of tires, knowing that by every measure, an old tire is a potentially deadly tire?"
In the wake of their son's death Moore and Andy's mother, Mary E. Walder, M.D., a pediatrician, established the Andy Moore Scholarship at Council Rock North. Recognizing their son's passion for music, the scholarship -- which provides $1,250 per year for four undergraduate years -- is awarded each year to a graduating senior who demonstrates excellence in both music and academics.