The last moments of a family killed in an automobile accident that was apparently caused by a faulty accelerator on a Toyota vehicle have been made public as lawyers challenge Toyota’s safety record. Recently, four members of a family died in a Lexus that they had hired that had allegedly accelerated wildly out of control.
A California highway patrolman, who was off duty at the time died along with his wife and sister in law when they were involved in an accident in a Toyota that was about to be subject to a recall.
In a 911 emergency call that was made from the automobile just before the accident, the wife of the patrolman can be heard saying: We’re in a Lexus and our accelerator is stuck and we’re in trouble. There are no brakes and we’re approaching the intersection. Hold on, hold on and pray, pray.
A lawyer who is acting on behalf of the husband of the sister in law reported that the Lexus, which is Toyota’s luxury brand which up until then had not been recalled, said that the Toyota had been borrowed by the family while their own automobile was being repaired. The same automobile had been loaned to another person three days earlier. They brought it back and complained about the accelerator getting stuck.
He questioned Toyota’s claim that it had found a durable and simple fix for the problems that have resulted in 19 deaths and thousands of accidents.
US dealers will begin repairs on 2,300,000 automobiles by inserting a stainless steel bar under the accelerator pedal to prevent it from sticking. The company will also replace pedals in another 5,000,000 automobiles that have floor mats that can trap the accelerator.
Toyota is trying to limit the dramatic sales slump as a result of the recall of millions of its automobiles around the world. However, some lawyers think that the accidents may have been the result of problems that are not related to either the pedal or the floor mats, which are the only 2 causes that have been identified thus far by Toyota. They suggest there may be problems with Toyota’s electronics, which is a claim that the automobile manufacturer has categorically denied.
The automobile used by the Patrolman and his family was a 2009 Lexus ES350 that wasn’t covered by Toyota’s recall of the pedal but that has been associated with the problem with the floor mats.
The sheriff’s report said the mat was a factor but it was not able to rule out an electronic malfunction the lawyer said. Toyota has continued to claim that there’s no evidence to support a contention that there was an electronic problem, however, they also said there were no other problems when they issued the floor mat recall and they have taken that back.
Lawyers say Toyota may also be held liable for prosecution in the British court system if it can be proven that the company did not act quickly enough to recall the defective automobiles that had the faulty parts. A law firm in Britain is currently involved with 2 cases of individuals who say that the accelerator pedal failure in a Toyota resulted in, one case which resulted in a financial loss caused by the inability to use an automobile and another in a head injury.
These cases involve Toyota’s bestselling models in Britain, the Yaris, and the RAV4, a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The Toyota Company has not yet confirmed how many automobiles are affected in Britain but are recalling 1,800,000 automobiles in Europe across eight models: The Aygo, the iQ, the Verso, the Corolla, the British made Avensis and Auris, the Yaris, and the RAV4.
Almost 100,000 Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 models that are manufactured at the same factory where the Toyota Aygo is made are also being recalled. The manufacturer has admitted it may have 2 incidents that involve accelerator pedals that are defective.
Toyota has said that it had knowledge of 26 incidents that involve pedals that are defective in Europe. The company had reports of incidents with accelerator pedals, however, the incidents of accelerator pedals that were sticking were treated like a quality issue rather than a safety issue. Its recall in Europe came last week following a renewed number of incidents.
Toyota has also admitted knowledge of a part in the pedal mechanism as being a potential problem. In a statement it said that the engineers have developed and rigorously tested a solution which involves the reinforcement of the pedal assembly to eliminate the potential risk of excess friction that could, in some cases result in the pedal sticking. They claim that the first shipments of parts required for this fix the problem will begin soon be arriving in Europe.
The US Government is considering imposing a civil penalty on Toyota, an official at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported.
One lawyer is representing California woman whose wife was killed after the Toyota Camry the woman was driving accelerated and then plummeted over a cliff.
Lawyers are also filing lawsuits for Toyota owners who are too scared to drive their automobiles. One lawyer said that he has been contacted by hundreds of these people. Therefore, if you or a loved one has been killed or injured in an automobile accident involving a Toyota that was subject to recall, you really do need a good personal injury lawyer looking out for your interests. Contact Emery Ledger at Ledger and Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or at Ledgerlaw.com to learn your rights as a victim and how we can help you get financial compensation for your accident.
