Auto-Transmission Design - Confidential Settlement
Reached against auto manufacturer and driver during Trial in which we were lead plaintiffs' trial counsel for over 20 victims struck down, some fatally, by an out-of-control car. We claimed that the operator had inadvertently pressed down on the accelerator, instead of the brake, as she shifted from "park" into "drive", causing the car to suddenly accelerate, which in turn caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. We contended that the vehicle was defectively designed for not having a brake shift interlock to prevent the operator from shifting into gear unless the operator's foot was on the brake pedal.
Car Driver's Seat Design - Confidential Settlement
Reached shortly before trial against the automobile manufacturer and offending driver, and for our client, a driver who suffered paralyzing neck injuries when his stopped car was rear-ended by another. The claim was that, due to its defective design, the driver's seat-back collapsed rearward in this low-speed impact causing our client's neck to hyperextend and for his head to strike the rear seat seat-back thereby causing his injuries.
Fuel Fed Fire in Rear-Ended SUV
We are currently representing a young woman who suffered catastrophic burns when a sports car impacted the rear of the sports utility vehicle ("SUV") in which she was a passenger, causing the gas tank to rupture. Among our claims are that the SUV was defectively designed, which led to the rupture of the fuel tank.
Seat-Belt Design - Ejection
Our client's wife was killed when she was ejected from the motor vehicle she was operating went off the road and subsequently crashed. We claimed that she was wearing her seatbelt but because the belt was attached to the door, and not the door frame, when the door opened it extended the belt so that she was, in effect, no longer restrained by it. We argued that to have the belt attached to the door was a defective design because of the risk of ejection even when belted once the door opened.
*These results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
