Duval businessman sues over car fire that nearly took his life

A Jacksonville businessman whose clients sued over his handling of millions of dollars of investment money after he nearly died in an explosive car fire is suing the car's manufacturer.

A lawyer for Robert Hetsler, who spent months in a coma after being severely burned over at least two-thirds of his body, argues Ford Motor Co., Roush Performance and the dealer who sold him a modified 2016 Ford Roush Mustang all had some liability for his injury in the 2017 fire.

The car had one prior owner and less than 1,000 miles on its odometer when Hetsler bought it in November 2017, according to a lawsuit his lawyers filed in April.

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It erupted in flames 10 days later, while Hetsler sat inside after midnight behind a closed pharmacy on Atlantic Boulevard in San Marco. Fire investigators didn't figure out what started the fire and Hetsler, who police found charred and wandering near the burning debris, has said he doesn't remember.

Hetsler's lawsuit doesn't spell out how the fire started either, but attorney Andrew Knopf argued the blaze was "caused due to the defects and/or improperly installed components" in the car.

Ford and the dealership that sold the car, World Imports USA, asked a judge last week to dismiss the lawsuit against their clients, saying they aren't responsible for the injuries that left Hetsler in hospitals or rehab centers for a year and a half and led to amputations on both hands.

Lawyers for Ford said the car "found its way to Florida outside of Ford's intended distribution system" after being shipped to Roush, which modifies Fords for high-performance driving.

Besides, Ford attorney Jessica Kennedy contended, a string of earlier court rulings show the case shouldn't be tried in Florida because the state isn't where the company is incorporated or its main place of business. She pointed to a 2016 federal court case from Hillsborough County where a judge found there was no jurisdiction to hear cases against Ford.

The lawsuit will unfold while a separate group of lawyers tries to make sure a $7.5 million settlement deal that Hetsler's clients reached with him last year is carried out. After the car fire, Hestler was sued by dozens of clients of his business, which they hired to act as an intermediary in real estate investments so they could lower their federal income tax bills.

To avoid being paying capital gains taxes when they sold land, the clients had profits from real estate sales paid directly to Hetsler's company, which was supposed to keep ready for clients to use buying "like kind" investment properties. While Hetsler was in a coma, no one could find the money, which he had put into other investments that had to be sold off. That process is still going on.

Steve Patterson: (904) 359-4263

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