thermoplastic, urethane and leather-wrapped steering wheels, instrument panel pads, padded consoles, arm rests and other padded components, tail lamp assemblies and a larger number of other products for vehicles. Carrollton Bus Disaster Many years after Sheller-Globe exited the school bus manufacturing business, a disastrous accident occurred with one of Superior bus bodies it had built. It was the worst school bus accident in U.S. history as of January 2007. On May 14, 1988, shortly before 11:00 PM, a 1977 model school bus with a Ford B-700 chassis and a 66 passenger Superior body in use as a church bus was involved in the Carrollton bus disaster near Carrollton, Kentucky. 27 persons died and many more were injured after their bus was involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71. Although none of the bus occupants suffered mortal injuries in the impact, the victims were unable to evacuate quickly immediately after the impact as the gasoline tank of the bus ruptured and a fire broke out. The bus had been built only 9 days before the 1977 FMVSS standards would have required additional collision protection of the Ford fuel tank. Improved access to emergency exits in the bus body would also have been required. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation and report was also critical of the flammability of the bus seats which had exacerbated the inability of the bus occupants to exit their burning bus. The accident and the legal battle afterward were recounted in a 1994 book by James S. Kuen. Reckless Disregard: Corporate Greed, Government Indifference, and the Kentucky School Bus Crash was published by Simon & Schuster of New York City. () Although no legal determination of product liability was ever made, Sheller-Globe and Ford Motor Company each contributed substantially to the settlement funds for those injured and the families of those who were killed. United Technologies Corporation In the late 1980s, Sheller-Globe Corporation was acquired by United Technologies Corporation, and became known as the United Technologies Automotive Engineered Systems Division. In 1999, Lear Corporation purchased United Technologies Automotive from United Technologies Corporation. References Sheller-Globe Corporation Superior History Fundinguniverse.com Bus manufacturers of the United States Defunct companies based in Ohio Companies based in Toledo, Ohio Private equity portfolio companies