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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana judge says Goodyear must pay more than $6.7 million in damages in the death of a garbage truck driver killed in 2014 when a tire he was inflating exploded.
Elwood Breaux Jr. was working for the Plaquemines (PLAK-uh-minz) Parish government when the "zipper failure" occurred. The name describes a long sidewall rip with protruding metal reinforcement.
State District Judge Michael Clement ruled last week that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. failed to adequately warn the parish that an underpressurized tire might explode during inflation.
Goodyear says it will appeal the ruling.
Clement said about $481,000 of the total will reimburse the parish for workers' compensation. Family attorneys say state law will return some of that to the family's share.
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