Beasley Allen lawyer LaBarron Boone says Travaris “Tre” Smith is his inspiration in a battle for justice against Ford Motor Company. The young man was paralyzed at age 20 in Selma, Alabama, when the Ford Explorer he was riding in rolled over, leaving him a quadriplegic. On Feb. 15, a Dallas County jury held Ford liable for the crash, finding the auto manufacturer covered up the vehicle’s defective design, and awarded Tre $151 million. It is the largest civil verdict ever awarded in Dallas County. But LaBarron says Tre continues to inspire him to fight so that nobody else is hurt or killed. “Tre wants me to fight to make a difference,” he says. “Tre asked me, ‘Fight, so nobody has to be confined to a wheelchair like I am. Fight so there won’t be any more senseless deaths.’ And I’m ready and willing to fight for Tre,” he says.
Tragic inspiration in the fight for justice
