Lawsuit Filed Against General Motors Corporation for Defective Vehicle Components
The California personal injury lawyers of BISNAR | CHASE have filed a product liability injury lawsuit against General Motors Corporation and Sexton Chevrolet of Manteca, California for producing a defective seatback and seatbelt that failed to properly protect Wendy Leigh Yates in a 2007 rear-end crash.
Wendy was seated and buckled up in the front passenger seat of a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by her daughter, Brittney. The mother and daughter were traveling southbound on the off-ramp from State Route 99 to Beckwith Road in Modesto, California when their vehicle was rear-ended by another car. The crash caused Wendy's seatback to collapse backwards, allowing her body to slip underneath her seat belt and shoulder restraints toward the back of the Tahoe. Her head struck the rear passenger compartment, causing catastrophic permanent brain injury from numerous skull fractures and seizures. Brittney Yates also suffered from severe personal injuries in the crash.
General Motors Knew the Seats, Seatbacks and Seatbelts Were Defective
General Motors was aware that Wendy's vehicle contained seats too weak to withstand a modest rear-end impact at speeds as low as 30 mph without collapsing and putting properly restrained passengers in danger of catastrophic injuries. Based previous car accidents, lawsuits, in-house testing and integrity tests required by law under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) General Motors knew of the risks of failure inherent in this vehicle.
General Motors was also aware of the defective seat belt system in Wendy's Tahoe which failed to properly restrain her during the rear-end collision, causing her to suffer catastrophic personal injuries.
Because previous documented, filmed or videotaped testing of rear-end barrier impact crashes is required for all automakers selling automobiles in the United States under FMVSS 301 as of 1976 to ensure the safety of the vehicle's components, General Motors had seen their seatbacks and seat belts fail in testing and knowingly continued to design, manufacture and install the unsafe passenger seats that have since caused passengers to risk death and serious personal injury in rear-end collisions.
Wendy Yates seeks economic damages for herself and her daughter for continued medical expenses, past loss of earnings, loss of earning capacity and general damage for future pain and suffering. Economic damages are also sought for loss of consortium for Gavin Yates who has endured hardship as a result of the injuries to his loved ones.
For more information please see California Personal Injury Lawyers File Products Liability Injury Lawsuit Against General Motors Corporation. Stay current with BISNAR | CHASE press releases .
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
Comments
Is this story for real? If this story is coming from a lawyers office, then they don't even know that GM is no longer a corporation and if they were addressing the old GM, they don't even know the name.
Posted by: dan8679 | February 2, 2010 7:19 PM