Toyota Motor Corporation said Monday that it will not contest the record $16.4 million dollars in fines levied by United States safety regulators because the company did not inform the proper authorities as soon as it knew of problems with defective accelerator pedals in a number of its cars. The fines are the result of controversy surrounding the 8.5 million-and growing-Toyota made vehicles that have been recalled in the last year. As you may be aware, the recalls started last fall with the first recall prompted by the runaway Lexus SUV that killed all four occupants in San Diego. That recall was followed by recalls number two and three in December and February. In total, over 8.5 million vehicles have been recalled and Toyota has just announced additional recalls.
Since the original round of recalls, lawmakers, regulators and advocates have been speculating about exactly when Toyota knew about the defective parts. Under United States law, a manufacturer must make a good faith effort to find any defective parts and must report those defects that it finds immediately. They must also repair or replace any defective parts. Many critics have questioned when Toyota became aware of the problems and have asked why nothing was done sooner. The record fine – while not an admit ion of guilt on the part of Toyota – says a lot to some people.
There have been at least 50 deaths attributable to the Toyota defects and hundreds of accidents. At last count the number of lawsuits filed in the United States against the automotive giant was approaching 100. The fine Toyota has agreed to pay may be just the tip of the iceberg as far as the financial cost of the defects. Under the laws of negligence as applied in California, if you were involved in an accident in which a Toyota manufactured vehicle was responsible for the collision, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the injuries you sustained in the accident.
Under the laws of negligence, if a person, or entity, is responsible for damages that you have suffered, then they must compensate you for those damages. Much of the time, this involves a negligent driver in a car accident. It can, however, be a company that is the negligent party. If a defective part in a vehicle was the cause, or part of the cause, of an accident, then that may be considered negligence on the part of the company that manufactured the part.
What this may mean for you, if you were injured in an accident involving a Toyota manufactured vehicle, is that you may have a legal claim against Toyota for injuries that were caused by the accident. The only way to know whether you have a valid personal injury lawsuit is to consult with an experienced California personal injury attorney. The laws of negligence are very complicated and made even more so when a large corporation is involved. If you would like a free detailed evaluation of your potential personal injury claim, please contact personal injury attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates. He can be reached at 1-800-300-0001 or you may visit his website at www.ledgerlaw.com
