John Doe was hauling 21 tons of fertilizer from Moore Haven, Florida, to Okeechobee Florida, when the left front tire of his tractor-trailer rig blew out without warning. He tried in vain to control the swerving truck as it plunged into a ditch and burst into flames. Witnesses dragged Mr. Doe from the burning wreckage. He required above the knee amputation of both legs and seven grueling surgeries as a result of the accident. Attorneys Joseph J. Reiter and Donald R. Fountain presented evidence to a Palm Beach County jury that the Michelin tire was badly designed, allowing water to seep through the rubber and erode the steel belts inside. Attorneys Reiter and Fountain also accused Michelin of failing to warn its customers that internal rusting could damage tires. The jury ruled in favor of the Belle Glade truck driver with $30.4 million dollars; one of the largest personal injury awards ever handed down in Florida.