Daniell v. Ford Motor Co., 581 F. Supp. 728

One of my favorite cases so far in law school.

The plaintiff, Daniell, tried to commit suicide by closing herself in the trunk of her '73 Ford LTD. She was enclosed for nine days...and survived.

Suicide is a sad subject, but we don't flaunt our idiocy the way this woman did when she tried to sue Ford for a design defect.
The trunk did not unlock from the inside. As someone who wanted to commit suicide, you would think this would make it easier...and in her situation, the only way that this method could be ideal. She sued for physical and emotional damages that she incurred while "trapped" for those nine days.

Ford easily shot down this woman's claim saying that the trunk was not meant for a human being and for the purposes she used this trunk, no car should be able to fulfill (to bring about death). They further claimed that when she and her husband went to buy the car years before, neither she nor her husband placed importance on the use of the trunk or its abilities.

What I want to know is why it took 9 days for anyone to find her? It's sad to think that no one would go looking...maybe she was just passed out in the trunk. This couldn't have been a serious attempt, because if it were, why would she sue for damage to her life???

Moral of the story: if your suicide attempt is a failure, don't sue for damages. You will humiliate yourself...really badly.

Also, don't attempt suicide to get attention, go get help.