AUSTINTOWN, Ohio - Lawyers for the Ford Motor Company will be in Mahoning County court on Tuesday, defending the carmaker in a lawsuit filed by a former Austintown police officer.

The case involves patrolman Ross Linert who was severely burned when his cruiser caught fire after a rear-end collision in 2007. It happened on Meridian Road when a car driven by Adrien Foutz slammed into the back of Linert's patrol car at a high rate of speed.

In the lawsuit, Linert's lawyers will argue that Ford is guilty of defective design and defective manufacturing of the patrol cars gas tank and fueling system.

"The fire was caused as a result of manufacturing defects on this specific vehicle at the manufacturing facility in Dearborn, Michigan," said Attorney Brad Lakin. 

Lakin alleges a defect resulted in a six inch diameter hole in the cruisiers fuel tank on impact. The patrol car in question is the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

In similar lawsuits Ford has argued that no design can eliminate all risk in 70 or 80 mph collisions.

Adrien Foutz pleaded no contest to vehicular assault and served a two year prison sentence.

On Monday she was dropped as a co-defendant in the lawsuit with Ford, after a confidential settlement was reached with the plaintiff. In the suit, Attorney Lakin says Linert is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

"They're in the millions of dollars his wages lost his medical bills alone are in excess of two-million dollars and then above that are the intangible losses disability, disfigurement, pain and suffering," said Lakin. 

It will be a jury trial and it is scheduled to last three weeks.