Johnson Et Al V. Rush Enterprises, Inc. Et Al

Case Background

On January 24, 2019, Plaintiff William Lee Johnson, an incompetent adult, by and through his Guardian ad Litem, Jerrad Johnson filed a product liability lawsuit in the United States District Court, California Eastern (Case number: 2:22cv422). This case was assigned to Magistrate Judge Stanley A. Boone.

Cause

On December 21, 2018, a CNG truck explosion at a fueling station in Buttonwillow, Kern County, California, caused life-altering injuries to William Lee Johnson. Johnson, a co-owner of B & N Trucking, Inc., had recently purchased a Kenworth tractor equipped with a CNG fuel system. Rush Enterprises, Inc. (doing business as Momentum Fuel Technologies) designed and installed the system. Carleton Technologies, Inc. and Cobham PLC manufactured the carbon fiber cylinders, while Papé Trucks, Inc. sold the truck and its defective fuel system. As Johnson attempted to refuel the truck for the first time, one of the carbon fiber cylinders ruptured. The CNG truck explosion sent debris flying hundreds of feet. The blast destroyed the Kenworth truck, severely damaged the fueling station, and left Johnson with catastrophic injuries. Investigators later determined that critical design and manufacturing defects caused the fuel system failure. The plaintiffs alleged that the product liability lawsuit arose from the defendants' negligence in designing, manufacturing, and installing the fuel system.

Injuries

Johnson suffered severe injuries due to the CNG truck explosion. The intense blast c