Toyota Sudden Acceleration Lawsuit Filed in Missouri Wrongful Death at Carwash
Watson sustained head trauma, injuries to her abdomen, neck, throat, broke, ribs and pubic bone, and developed lacerations, abrasions, and contusions on her arms, neck, lungs, legs, liver, intestines, spleen, stomach, and bladder. She later died at the hospital.
According to the driver of the Toyota, John Page, his accelerator got stuck. A police probe, however, found that Page had stepped on the accelerator and not the brakes.
The plaintiffs claim that Toyota should be held liable for Missouri auto products liability because it has knowingly made cars with defective braking and acceleration systems that have caused “eerily similar” accidents to the one that killed Watson. They believe that she would still be alive today if only Toyota had sought to remedy the sudden unintended acceleration problem that has affected so many of its vehicles, causing serious injuries and deaths.
In their wrongful death lawsuit, the family accused Toyota of fraudulently covering up information related to the acceleration defect. They says that after the car accident that killed Watson, the automaker sent two corporate representatives to “inspect” the Land Cruiser and, rather than attempting to discover the truth, “staged an inspection” to “clear its name.” The plaintiffs say that the Toyota SUV was defectively designed and manufactured because it contained a faulty throttle control system, poorly designed floor mats, an “unreasonably dangerous gas pedal,” and an electronic interference issues that caused unintended acceleration. The vehicle also lacked a brake override system.
Read the Lawsuit (PDF)
Toyota, Cleaver-owned car wash sued in woman’s death, NBC Action News, January 20, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Toyota Safety Issues, Product Liability Law Blog
Additional Information on Toyota Recalls and Investigations, NHTSA
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