Since 2014, General Motors has recalled about 12.8 million vehicles because of faulty ignition switches. Over 11 million of those vehicles are believed to be in the United States. The issue of the ignition switches pivots on product liability law involving a mechanical part in the switch that can accidentally turn off the engine of an affected vehicle. When the defect arises, the vehicle’s engine shuts off. Sometimes collisions would occur because of loss of control of the vehicle as a result of the defect. You might be driving an affected vehicle without knowing it, and as a public service, … [Read more...]
Takata Air Bag Death Reported in Texas
Since our report in 2014 on air bag recalls and lawsuits regarding car manufacturers who use airbags manufactured by Takata, Honda now reports a recent death in Texas involving a vehicle that was rear-ended. This is the 10 death in the U.S., a phenomenon spurring the recall of tens of millions of vehicles worldwide. The following article is copied from writers David Shepardson and Bernie Woodall of Reuters: A 17-year-old driver of a recalled 2002 Honda Civic was killed last month after a Takata Corp (7312.T) air bag ruptured during a rear-end crash, Honda Motor Co (7267.T) and U.S. … [Read more...]
Bicyclist vs. Motorist
All of us here at Springer & Lyle seem to see more bicyclists on the road every day. We’ve also represented many bicyclists who were the victims of negligent drivers. A motorist is required to observe the rules of the road, but a bicyclist required to follow those same rules. That means stopping at stop signs and stop lights, signaling when turning, and riding in the same lane and direction as other traffic. A bicyclist’s failure to follow those rules can be taken into consideration in an injury case, and any award they might receive could be significantly reduced. According to the … [Read more...]
Air Bag Recall Expands as More Lawsuits Appear
Takata Corp makes airbags used by several auto manufacturers, nine total including Toyota, Honda, and Chrysler. News of more lawsuits followed Toyota’s recall of nearly a quarter-million vehicles and U.S. safety regulators advise drivers to have their airbags replaced as soon as possible. Read the article by Reuter’s Ben Klayman posted Tue Oct 21, 2014. … [Read more...]
City of Denton Bans Texting and Other Cell Phone Activities
The Denton City Council voted unanimously to outlaw texting and most usage of mobile phones with the exception of vocal conversation in the entire city excluding interstates and their service roads. The following information is gathered from reports by the Denton Record-Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, and NBC-5 News. Heated testimony filled the council chamber as citizens reported of incidents where pedestrians and bicyclists are injured as a result of neglectful and distracted driving while using cellular devices. One pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on the historic Denton Square and … [Read more...]
Congressional Investigation of GM over 57 Cent Part
Thirteen people had died in highway accidents as a result of a faulty ignition switch that would have cost 57 cents to replace. Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin of the Associated Press report that GM has failed to act even though the issue has been known for years. Read about GM CEO Mary Barra’s testimony before Congress as published in the Houston Chronicle. … [Read more...]
Air Bag Failure Spurs Nissan Recall
Fred Meier and James R. Healey of USA Today report of nearly one million Nissan and Infiniti brand vehicles being eligible for recall due to passenger air bag failure. Here’s the article posted March 26 at USAToday.Com : Nissan is recalling 1 million vehicles because the air bag system software might not be able to tell whether there is a person sitting in the front passenger seat, so the air bag might not inflate in a crash. It’s the second passenger air bag recall for some of the vehicles. Last April, 82,038 2013-model vehicles from the same group were recalled because a sensor was … [Read more...]
Counterfeit Airbags Installed by Independent Repair Shops
For vehicle owners who have had their airbags serviced during the past three years at repair facilities other than new car dealerships, the Obama Administration suggests taking their cars to have their airbags inspected to be certain they are safe. This is termed an "extreme safety risk" as some airbags are failing to deploy and in some cases exploding on deployment with flying debris and shrapnel. Please read this article from the Asssociate Press dated October 9, 2012. By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of motorists may be driving cars and trucks installed with … [Read more...]
1/5 of Commercial Vehicles were Found Unsafe
The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that one-fifth of commercial vehicles they inspected in in 2011 were unsafe: "Since the first of the year, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement personnel and specially-trained Highway Patrol troopers have inspected 331,505 commercial vehicles. As a result of these inspections, DPS removed 66,189 unsafe commercial vehicles and 12,301 unsafe commercial vehicle drivers from Texas roads for a variety of safety violations. “Commercial vehicles are responsible for approximately 15 percent of the fatalities in Texas crashes,” said McCraw. “Most … [Read more...]
Happy Stop The Texts Day!
Distracted driving is a real scourge in our society. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, has declared today #StopTheTextsDay asking Twitter for ideas on how best to fight this menace and convince people to put down the phone and drive. Celebrities like Kasey Khane have even released public service announcements with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urging drivers to “STOP THE TEXTS STOP THE WRECKS.” Unfortunately, distracted driving isn’t just a problem amongst consumers. Many employers still have policies that allow, or even encourage employees to use their cell … [Read more...]
