Ford Motor Company was probably lucky. The hazardous F-150 pickup gas tank strap defect that prompted a recent truck recall seems only to have injured one unfortunate victim. But many car and truck defects cause multiple, serious injuries before a manufacturer finally breaks down and issues a recall. Some defects even claim lives.
Examples of major vehicle defects and the injuries and fatalities they caused include:
A combination of defective Firestone tires on Ford Explorer SUVs that the federal government linked to over 200 fatalities and 700 injuries, mostly from rollover accidents, over a 10-year period.
A side saddle fuel tank installed in 1973-1987 General Motors’ full-sized pickups and cab chassis trucks that took the lives of more than 1,800 people in deadly fires.
Floor mats in Toyota and Lexus models (including the Toyota Tundra) that jammed in the gas pedals causing runaway acceleration and have been blamed for approximately 5 deaths and 20 injuries.
Defective Ford-F-150 cruise control switches that caught fire even when vehicles were parked and turned off. One of these trucks burned down its owners’ home and sadly took the life of their little 4-year-old daughter on New Year’s Day in 2009.
When you buy a car or truck, you have a right to expect that your new vehicle is fit for its intended purpose and safe to take out on the road or park at your home. But motor vehicles are extremely complex machines. New technologies continually change the way automakers can design and build vehicles and their components. Countless opportunities exist for tiny materials, design, manufacturing and assembly defects to make their way into the production process. But even the tiniest defects can lead to huge problems.
If you have lost a loved one to a car or truck defect, you may have a right to financial compensation from the manufacturer of the deadly product. Money can’t begin to recompense you for such a loss. But it can motivate a manufacturer to take more care with its products and avoid the mistakes that could claim further lives. When you are the surviving spouse, parent or child of a victim wrongfully killed by a defective vehicle, you can claim monetary damages for:
Funeral expenses,
Your family member’s medical expenses from the accident prior to death,
Your mental and emotional anguish due to the loss of your loved one,
Loss of the income or financial support provided by the decedent, and
Loss of the value of your unique family relationship with the victim.
Cars and trucks are expensive products costing tremendous amounts of money. They should never cost anyone their life. No vehicle can ever be worth that price. If you are suffering because of a deadly vehicle accident in your family, and you have urgent questions, please call. We have answers. The sensitive Pearland, TX auto accident attorneys at Denena & Points have helped many other grieving family members through their darkest hours. Our goal is to help you hold automakers accountable for the needless safety lapses that claim the lives of innocent loved ones.