Cooper told to pay $10 million in 4 deaths

After deciding that Ohio-based Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. made a defective tire that killed four El Pasoans, a County Court-at-Law No. 5 jury awarded the victims' relatives $10 million Thursday. Another $4 million will probably be added as pre judgment interest, according to Hugh Smith, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs.

The jury took almost three days to find the tire maker at fault for the June 30, 1997, accident.

Attorneys for Cooper Tire had argued during six weeks of testimony that an unrepaired hole on the Sigma Radial Cooper Tire, along with driver over-correction, could have caused the accident.

The tire maker also argued that toxicologists' reports showed that Oscar Mendez Sr., the driver of the van, had trace amounts of cocaine in his system at the time of the accident.

The rollover on Interstate 25 south of Albuquerque claimed the lives of Mendez's wife, Maria Luisa Mendez, and three friends -- Adela Duran, Manuel Duran and Carmen Reynoso. Three other people were injured, including Oscar Mendez.

Defense lawyers stood by their claim that the 14-inch tire, made at the company's Texarkana plant, wasn't defective.

"Obviously we feel like the evidence showed the tire was properly made and it was a good tire," said Jim Darnell, an attorney for Cooper Tire. "There was a nail hole in it, and we can't control nail holes."

Darnell said the company and its attorneys are reviewing their options and have not ruled out an appeal.