MIAMI—A 53-year-old Miami man received $4.9 million—including $4.5 million from Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. and its subsidiary Dunlop Tire Corp.—in the settlement of a product liability lawsuit. Jim McGuire was driving a 1979 MG sports car in March 1996 when a 10-year-old Dunlop SP4N. tire on the car, made by Sumitomo in Japan, blew out.
Mr. McGuire managed to pull over to the side of the road, but was struck by a tractor-trailer. He suffered severe brain damage and was in a coma for 42 days.
In the lawsuit, Mr. McGuire's attorneys argued that the tire's construction allowed water to seep in through its steel belts, causing it to rust internally.