dictionary

McALLEN, Texas (CNN) -- The family of a woman left paralyzed in an auto accident involving Firestone tires settled their massive lawsuit against the company Friday, saying they are glad they had the chance to reveal the facts in court.

U.S. District Court Judge Filemon Vela told the jury Friday morning that an agreement had been reached for a settlement of an undisclosed amount. The seven women and two men had been deliberating since Tuesday afternoon. Sources tell CNN that Firestone will pay the Rodriguez family $7.5 million.

Bridgestone/Firestone was being sued for $1 billion by the family of Marisa Rodriguez, 41, who was left wheelchair-bound when their Ford Explorer overturned on a Mexican highway on March 9, 2000.

Attorneys revealed little about the settlement. Plaintiffs' attorney Ricardo Garcia said Firestone did not admit liability as part of the agreement. His co-counsel, Mikal Watts, said they met with Bridgestone/Firestone's attorneys Friday morning to hammer out the deal.

VIDEO The family of accident victim Marisa Rodriguez accepts $7.5 million in its lawsuit against Firestone (August 24) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Ed Lavandera reviews arguments in the lawsuit by one family against the tiremaker (August 22) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Bridgestone/Firestone, in a brief written statement, said, "We are glad we were able to reach a resolution ... . Since the outset ... we have been hopeful that we could reach a fair settlement that would also bring closure to (the family)."

Marisa's husband, Joel, a physician in Pharr, Texas, said he feels "great" about the settlement.

"We are pleased with the agreement we have settled right now," he said. "Marisa is our main concern right now, and I think we're going to get our lives back ... not as it was before, but now we can begin to work over that."

Joel suffered less serious injuries in the accident, along with the couple's 3-year-old son. Marisa's brother-in-law, Jorge Rodriguez, was at the wheel and was also injured.

The trial began earlier this month in the Southern District Court of Texas. The family had reached an out-of-court settlement with Ford in July for a reported $6 million.

Marisa Rodriguez was paralyzed in the accident

The accident occurred five months before Firestone announced the recall of 6.5 million 15-inch Wilderness AT, ATX and ATX II tires made at the company's plant in Decatur, Illinois, where the Rodriguez' tire was made.

"What we always wanted to do was to come and put before the public the Firestone story," said Garcia. "That has always been our objective."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented 203 deaths and more than 700 injuries linked to tread separation rollover accidents involving Firestone tires and Ford Explorers.

Ford blames the problem on faulty tires, while Firestone blamed it on design flaws in the popular Explorer. The fallout led the companies to sever their century-old business relationship.

-- CNN Producer Carol Yancho contributed to this report.