Defective equipment suits, also referred to as product liability lawsuits, against Japanese car manufacturer Toyota are cropping up all over the county. I and my colleagues have the skills and experience to represent individuals who believe their vehicle had a defect that led to an accident involving personal injury or death. Of course, nobody wants to be in an automobile wreck, but from time to time forces beyond a driver’s control can result in a terrible crash.
Head and neck injuries are typical of some high-speed traffic collisions, while bruises, cuts and minor lacerations may be the only injuries in a lower-speed car or semi-truck collision. Whatever the cause, injuries can be costly, not only from a financial standpoint but also over the longer term as some people never fully recover emotionally or physically from a horrible accident.
The latest spate of defective equipment claims against Toyota allege poor accelerator design in a variety of the manufacturer’s models. According to a recent news article, two local D.C. residents have filed suits against Toyota for accidents that left them in need of medical treatment.
The two Washington, D.C., area drivers have joined nearly 300 personal injury and class-action lawsuits filed across the country against Toyota Motor Corporation. In their lawsuits, Andrew Flury of Pasadena, MD, and retired Army Col. Harry Williams of Woodbridge state that they each suffered severe injuries after the Toyota model vehicles they were driving suddenly accelerated.
This unexpected acceleration is an issue that has generated a major recall of millions of Toyota vehicles. In the case of two D.C. residents, their suit blames an electronic throttle system for the unintended acceleration. Reportedly the suit claims that the system also operated without a brake override system that could have prevented throttle problems.
In the cases of Andrew Flury, the suit states that on April 29, 2008, he and his wife were headed to dinner in his 2005 Toyota Echo along Water Street in Baltimore. As he approached a stop sign, Flury said that he applied the brakes but instead of stopping, the car accelerated into the intersection and collided with a sport-utility vehicle.
Flury and his wife were knocked unconscious and suffered head injuries. The husband was in a coma for more than a month. He is now partially paralyzed on his right side and has what his attorney calls “serious cognitive impairments that will affect him for the rest of his life.” He has been unable to return to his job as a sales manager for a technical job placement firm.
Two Washington area drivers sue Toyota, alleging acceleration problems in cars, WashingtonPost.com, March 15, 2010