car spontaneously combusted!

[nervous]

Two years ago my husband parked our 1986 ford thunderbird at the railroad station and left for work. Several hours later it caught fire and was completely totalled. The fire also damaged the car next to it,a 1991 Eagle.
The police determined that the fire started in the front passenger side, but could find absolutely no reason. There was no evidence of vandalism. My husband does not smoke. It was speculated that perhaps an electrical problen caused the fire, but we had no history of electrical problems. Bottom line is this: We just received notice that we are being sued by the owners of the Eagle for $13,000, claiming that we were negligent and that the car had a history of electrical problems. (Where they got that I have no idea). What do I do now? I can't afford a lawyer. The insurance co. at the time refused to pay on their claim, stating that there was no evidence of negligence on our part.

 

[HomeGuru]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face=" Arial, Verdana, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nervous:
Two years ago my husband parked our 1986 ford thunderbird at the railroad station and left for work. Several hours later it caught fire and was completely totalled. The fire also damaged the car next to it,a 1991 Eagle.
The police determined that the fire started in the front passenger side, but could find absolutely no reason. There was no evidence of vandalism. My husband does not smoke. It was speculated that perhaps an electrical problen caused the fire, but we had no history of electrical problems. Bottom line is this: We just received notice that we are being sued by the owners of the Eagle for $13,000, claiming that we were negligent and that the car had a history of electrical problems. (Where they got that I have no idea). What do I do now? I can't afford a lawyer. The insurance co. at the time refused to pay on their claim, stating that there was no evidence of negligence on our part.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Was the TBird taken to a certified Ford mechanic to do a forensic investigation to determine the cause of the fire? If there was a defect in the wiring or a component in the vehicle, the manufacturer may have been liable under a defective products statutes.

It is not your fault that the other owners insurance company did not pay.

If you got served with the notice you need to get an attorne to respond to the complaint. Contact your insurance company to see if their attorney could help you.