It’s important to remember that when injured in a car accident that is not your fault, that in addition to the driver, the vehicle manufacturer can also be at fault. It is possible for a design flaw to impact how a vehicle handles a collision, and that flaw can be the difference between life and death.
In addition to filing a lawsuit against a man who caused a car accident that killed a Houston couple and left their two children paralyzed, the family of the victims is suing Chrysler, alleging that the family’s van was improperly designed.
– Article By Richard Weaver
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Houston, charges Chrysler with designing the family’s 2003 Chrysler Town & Country minivan with an inadequate safety cage, which was supposed to protect the driver and passengers. It also alleges that the van lacked proper front crush zones, which are designed to absorb impact, and alleged that seat belts and seats backs were faulty.
In a statement, a Chrysler spokesman said the van meets or exceeds all federal safety standards.
The collision, which happened last summer, was caused by the other driver, who Texas state troopers said was reaching into the backseat of his car. That man’s wife was also killed in the accident.
The family’s attorney said that while the collision was severe, a properly designed van wouldn’t have crumpled in the crash the way it did, or left the two young boys paralyzed. The boys and their sister, who also survived the accident, now live with their aunt and uncle, who filed the lawsuit.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Relatives of Berry family sue Chrysler, driver in wreck that killed parents,” Susan Carroll, May 15, 2012