No one in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, was surprised when Eric Thomas, a popular young doctor, sued Ford Motor Company for the wrongful death of his pregnant wife, Tracy. The accident they were involved in was minor, and they were driving a big, powerful Explorer. Nevertheless, Tracy died in the accident, leaving behind her husband and cherished young daughter. Backed by the medical examiner's findings, Thomas's lawsuit claimed that the vehicle's air bag inflated improperly, resulting in Tracy's suffocation. But what started out as a product-liability case rapidly evolved into something altogether different when Ford alleged that Tracy was killed not by the air bag -- but by manual strangulation.