Alison Ciancio

From Rofflehaus

Alison Ciancio (July 11, 1982 – January 6, 2002) was a sophomore in animal science who died from severe head injuries after a drunk driver collided with the Jeep Cherokee she was driving. Her death resulted in a successful $1.3 million settlement by the family against Enterprise Rent-A-Car for a seat-belt defect.

The drunk driver, Jamal Lee Brinkley, 25, was driving a Chevorlet Malibu with his fiancee and had a BAC of 0.12. At 2:18 am, he fell asleep at the wheel and his car veered into oncoming traffic at 76 mph. He was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Ciancio was serving as the designated driver for four friends, all of whom suffered non-life threatening injuries during the accident. Ciancio herself was killed by the forward thrust of the rear passenger into her seat. Though she herself was buckled and her airbag deployed, the impact of the unbuckled passenger behind her slammed her body into the steering column. The family claimed Enterprise sold the car knowing that the rear seatbelt was broken, and the rear passenger's inability to use the belt resulted in Ciancio's death. The family claimed that Ciancio had twice attempted to get the belt fixed, but Enterprise did not have the necessary part.

Enterprise interestingly countered by saying that the "seat belt defense" law (usually used by plaintiffs) prevented the plaintiffs from bringing in evidence of seatbelt use or nonuse in crash cases. Furthermore, they said, Ciancio could have left the Jeep to be repaired, and it was unclear if the rear passenger would've used the seatbelt anyway.

The case, had it been ruled in favor of Enterprise, would've been pivotal in seat-belt related lawsuits in that it probably would've granted car manufacturers immunity from producing defective seatbelts.

An online auction is held to raise $2000 for the annual Alison Ciancio Memorial Scholarship.

1 Tree
2 See also
3 News articles
4 External links

[edit] Tree

A tree was planted as a gift from the College of Agriculture. Dean Catherine Woteki and Associate Dean Eric Hoiberg came up with the idea and provided the funding. It is planted in the west area of the Kildee Courtyard. A plaque can be found in Kildee Hall.