GM Denied Bid for Early Dismissal of Silverado Roof Crush Suit

General Motors LLC must defend claims that the roof of its Chevy Silverado pickup was defectively designed, causing a passenger in a rollover to suffer a permanent spinal cord injury and paralysis, the Middle District of Florida ruled.

The methodology of plaintiff Miranda Polk’s expert witness, who determined the roof’s design caused it to “match-box” or collapse, is enough to survive summary judgment, Judge Marcia Morales Howard of the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled Monday.

It wasn’t necessary for Byron Bloch—an expert in automotive safety design and vehicle crashworthiness—to inspect the vehicle, reconstruct the accident, ...