Toyota Begins Settling Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Metier Law Firm
Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:01:08 +0000
Automobile Crash, Wrongful Death, DefectiveProduct, product liability, WrongfulDeath

A few years ago, wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits flooded Toyota’s offices. The office recently settled the first of many wrongful death suits. There are still hundreds of lawsuits pending.

The suit was filed on behalf of Paul Van Alfen and Charlene Jones Lloyd, a couple who died when their Toyota Camry hit a wall in Utah in 2010. The suits claim that the vehicles suddenly accelerated without warning, causing serious injury and deaths.

A Toyota spokesperson says that this settlement does not affect other pending lawsuits. A statement from the car company says that they will attempt to settle a few lawsuits and defend others in court. The statement says that “multiple independent evaluations” certified the vehicle’s Electronic Throttle Control System as safe. It says floor mats, driver errors and stuck pedals caused the accidents. Toyota issued a recall of 14 million vehicles once complaints began to surface.

Before this case, Toyota reached a $10 million wrongful death settlement with the victims’ estate before the U.S. District Court of Santa Ana consolidated the remaining cases.

The Toyota lawsuits show that victims injured by defective products have options. It might seem intimidating to go up against a giant company like Toyota, but remember that justice can triumph over negligence. To find out if you have a potential product liability case, call us at (866) 637-6347. Ask about our free consultations.

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