Two years into serving his eight-year sentence for the 2006 motor vehicle
deaths of three people, 32-year-old Koua Fong Lee is now a free man. Lee
was convicted of vehicular manslaughter in 2007 because his 1996 Toyota
Camry had accelerated suddenly and uncontrollably, causing the fatal crash.
While Lee has always maintained that he was stepping on the brakes at
the time, prosecutors had argued that because his foot was actually on
the accelerator his vehicle reached speeds of up to 90 mph when he hit
the other cars. Lee’s pregnant wife, daughter, niece, brother, and
dad were in the car with him at the time. Killed in the Minnesota car
crash were father and son, Javis Adams, 33, and Javis Adams, Jr., 10,
as well as Devyn Bolton, 6, who at first survived the collision as a paraplegic
before later dying from her car crash injuries.
Although the 1996 Toyota Camry isn’t one of the millions of vehicles
that Toyota has recalled in the last year because of sudden unintended
acceleration problems, Lee’s attorneys, who were pushing for another
criminal trial, presented affidavits and testimony from 10 1996 Camry
owners who said that they too had experienced Toyota sudden acceleration
difficulties while driving their vehicles.
The judge called for a new trial due to evidence of mechanical failure
and the possibility that Lee’s original lawyer failed to provide
him with an adequate defense during the criminal trial. Prosecutors then
decided to drop the criminal charges against Lee, which is why he was
finally set free last Thursday.
Meantime, the victims’ families, who had been pressing for Lee’s
release from prison, are now suing Toyota for automotive products liability
over their loved ones’ wrongful deaths.
Minnesota judge frees man convicted in acceleration crash of Toyota, CNN,
August 6, 2010
Recalls cast new light on Toyota crash case, The Washington Post, August 5, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Toyota Recall Update
Unintended acceleration guide, Consumer Reports
