2008 Avalon blamed for death of four people
Imagine that you are out for a drive on a Saturday morning in rural Texas with three fellow church members in the car with you and the next thing you know your vehicle is accelerating out of control and you are powerless to stop it. That’s what investigators believe happened to Monty Hardy last December when he was driving himself and three others in a 2008 Toyota Avalon through Southlake, Texas. According to police reports and investigators, the vehicle veered off a road, smashed through a metal fence, hit a tree, flipped and ultimately landed upside down in a pond. The 2008 Toyota Avalon had just been recalled two months prior to the accident over concerns that the accelerators were getting stuck to the floor mat, causing uncontrollable acceleration. While that specific cause was ruled out, the 2008 Avalon was also involved in the second recall announced after this accident for problems inherent in the accelerator pedal itself. No skid marks were found on the road leading investigators to believe that the vehicle simply left the road and ended up in the river. The vehicle occupants, 35-year-old Hadassah Vance, 38-year-old Wendy Akion, 56-year-old Monty Hardy, and 56-year-old Sharon Ransom, were all pronounced dead at the scene or shortly thereafter.
The ensuing investigation of Mr. Hardy’s accident was completed in January and the findings were listed as inconclusive – but a mechanical problem with the accelerator was listed as a possible cause of the accident. Additionally, the report stated that the key factor in the accident was “failure to control speed”. The roads were not icy at the time and the driver died from drowning, ruling out a medical condition that caused him to be unable to operate the vehicle.
Unfortunately, stories like this one are being heard far too often on the news, over the internet, and around the water cooler. While it may take years to determine to a certainty what the cause of Mr. Hardy’s accident was, it has become impossible to ignore the sheer volume of stories like his that keep mounting. Stories of terrified motorists attempting to control, and ultimately stop, vehicles that have accelerated out of control. Stories of vehicles reaching speeds of over 90 miles per hour while motorists frantically tried to apply the brakes – to no avail. To make matters worse, many of these motorists had complained to their dealership, to Toyota or to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) prior to actually having an accident or problems with unintended acceleration. Most were told that the problem couldn’t be located.
If you have been the victim of an accident wherein you believe that unintended acceleration, or any other manufacturing defect, was to blame for the accident, contact an experienced California personal injury and product liability attorney immediately. Only an experienced California attorney can assess your specific situation and advise you what options you may have to be compensated for any injuries you have sustained.
If you have been injured in an accident involving any of the recently recalled vehicles and would like an experienced attorney to evaluate your case, contact the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit us at www.ledgerlaw.com.
