Five years after a faulty transmission caused a pickup truck to pop into gear, running over and killing a longshoreman in the Port of Los Angeles, Chrysler has agreed to a $24 million settlement with the victim's Long Beach family. Richard Mraz, 38, was working at the APL yard on Terminal Island when a 1994 Dodge Dakota he had been driving suddenly jumped into reverse after he had exited it to help a co-worker, knocking him to the ground and causing a fatal head injury.

He died several days later, leaving behind a wife and three kids. In 2007, a jury found Chrysler liable in the death, saying the automaker knew of the transmission problem as early as 2000, but failed to adequately notify owners that the trucks could suddenly pop into reverse even after being placed in the "park" position. The jury awarded Mraz's family $55 million, but during the ensuing appeals and years of litigation, Chrysler sank into bankruptcy, putting the judgment in question.

Read more at
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13545539