September 7, 2011

Several Passengers Injured in Tire Blow Out Accident While En Route to Chicago

Over the weekend, CarmiTimes reported a serious accident involving a tour bus occurred, injuring several people. A group of people was headed to Chicago for a family reunion, including several children. In the accident, several children and adults were tossed from their seats when one of the bus’s tires blew out, forcing the driver to lose control of the automobile, drive off the road, and crash into a tree. A total of thirty-seven people were sent to the hospital.

A tire blow out is defined as a rupture that air escapes through to the point where the wheel and steering can no longer support the weight of the automobile, according to CarPartsPlus. When a tire blows out while driving, it can cause a serious problem especially when on the highway or interstate. The National Safety Council provides several tips that can be helpful when in this type of accident. Our Illinois car accident attorneys encourage drivers to follow these safety tips in case a blow out should occur.

An important thing to remember when a tire blows out is not to slam on the brakes, but instead let your car gradually reduce speed and coast to safety. If possible, move the automobile towards the emergency lane or towards the nearest exit. You should steer as your vehicle slows down so it rolls to a safe place. Try to avoiding stopping in traffic and to lower your risk of a rear-end accident or side collision. It is also important to turn the emergency flashers on in your car immediately.

The National Safety Council concludes that the most important things to remember when having tire issues on the highway are:

• Never stop in the middle of traffic
• Get the vehicle safely away from the roadway and oncoming traffic before attempting to change a tire
• Only change the tire if you can do it without putting yourself or anyone else in danger
• And finally, after changing your tire, make sure to get it checked out by a professional to make sure there is no damage left over

Our Chicago car accident attorneys encourage all drivers to take the proper safety steps when a tire blows out or fails on the road. If you have been injured in this type of accident, or have lost a loved one, there are some instances when the tire company may be liable. Please contact us to talk about your legal rights to a potential lawsuit.

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Posted In: Chicago Car Accident, Current Issues, Design Defect in Vehicle, Tips for Readers, Tractor/Trailer Accident

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January 5, 2011

Car Maker Pays $10 Million Settlement Following Deadly Crash

The Chicago Tribune reported late last month on the settlement of a well-know car crash lawsuit.

The lawsuit stemmed from a bizarre (and infamous) accident involving an off-duty highway patrol officer, his wife, 13-year old daughter, and brother. The four travelers were on a highway last August in a loaned Lexus ES 350. Strangely the vehicle began to pick up speed and the driver was unable to slow the car down. The vehicle reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.

One of the men in the car called 911 as the problem continued, hoping to get assistance. No help came, however, and the car eventually hit another vehicle before slamming into a ravine. All four people in the car were killed as a result of the accident.

A lawsuit filed against Toyota was settled shortly after the incident. The settlement documents were unsealed recently, revealing that the car-maker paid $10 million to the family of the victims.

Investigations after the crash revealed troubling information about Toyota accelerator problems. Specifically, the driver’s side doormat was found to have trapped the accelerator pedal, making it impossible for the car to stop. The company eventually recalled over 5.4 million cars over concerns about the problem. Later examination revealed that as many as 93 people may have been killed because of the error. The company was fined a record $16.4 million by the federal government for their failure to initiate a recall in a timely manner.

Continue reading "Car Maker Pays $10 Million Settlement Following Deadly Crash" »

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Posted In: Design Defect in Vehicle

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December 24, 2010

Safety Warnings Ignored Leading to Death in Ford Windstar

The car company Ford is being criticized for slow efforts to recall a known dangerous component on its Windstar vehicle. Many say the delay is responsible for deadly car accidents.

Earlier this month the New York Times profiled the issue around the eventual recall of 619,000 Ford Windstars made between 1998 and 2003. The problem stemmed from rusty rear axles that were increasingly found to break prematurely—causing car accidents across many Midwest states, including Illinois.

Earlier this year Ford insisted that no recall was necessary because the problem was rare and even when it did occur the driver retained control of the vehicle. But that tune changed following a National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration investigation into the axle problem. The NHTSA itself has been criticized for its slow action, as the investigation did not begin until over 200 complaints had been filed by consumers whose vehicles had malfunctioned.

For some consumers the warnings were too little too late. A 28-year old father of two was on his way to pick up his two daughters when the rear axle broke on his Windstar. He lost control of the vehicle, causing a car crash that killed him. A recall notice issue by Ford arrived three days after his death.

Since that victim’s death, the NHTSA has issued an urgent warning to all consumers to get the dangerous axle replaced on these vehicles as soon as possible. The agency is continuing an investigation into the rusting front subframes that may cause right front suspension failure.

Continue reading "Safety Warnings Ignored Leading to Death in Ford Windstar" »

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Posted In: Design Defect in Vehicle

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January 28, 2010

Toyota Recalls More Vehicles for Safety Reasons

Toyota announced earlier today that they are issuing a recall on cars that have a certain type of floor mats that come standard in many of their models. The floor mats are being recalled because there is a serious danger that the gas pedal may get caught in the floor mat and jam, causing drivers to be unable to stop their car in time to avoid car accident. The Toyota models that are directly affected by this newest recall are Highlanders, Corollas, Venzas, Matrixes, and Pontiac Vibes.

The danger behind this type of problem is that if drivers are experiencing stuck gas pedals and are therefore unable to control their vehicle, there will be many more car accidents caused when these drivers are unable to control their car. This extremely dangerous problem must be addressed immediately. Toyota is handling the problem by taking all cars affected and either replacing the gas pedals or modifying the surface on which the pedal sits in order to keep the gas pedal from sticking. If you have any reason to believe your car may be affected by this recall, or even if you have a newer model Toyota, please check this list of recalls issued by Toyota to see if your car is affected so you can take it to your local Toyota dealership to get the problem fixed immediately.

Unfortunately this is not the first of this type of recall that Toyota has been forced to make recently. Earlier this year, Toyota issued a recall for a different problem that also involved unintentional acceleration. An additional recall from 2009 is still in affect as well. According to Consumer Affairs, some customers that experienced problems early on have found that Toyota was not quick to deal with these horrible deficiencies in their vehicles, and while no figures have been released how many car accidents have occurred that may have been avoided in Toyota had immediately dealt with this problem, the likelihood that many of these avoidable car crash occurred is high.

If you find yourself driving and the gas pedal gets stuck, it is important to try to stay calm and Toyota has recommended that if you apply firm and steady pressure to the brake, the car will be able to be controlled again. If you have had an accident as a result of a stuck gas pedal, please contact a local car accident attorney to see what actions can be taken, hopefully in order to keep this scary incident from happening to other drivers.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident, Current Issues, Design Defect in Vehicle

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January 27, 2009

Wrongul death lawsuit filed by John Perconti of Levin & Perconti after woman dies in car accident

John J. Perconti of Levin & Perconti has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Kane County, Illinois on behalf of a woman who was killed in a serious car accident last fall. The 32-year-olc woman’s vehicle was hit by a truck, causing her to crash into the Illinois Department of Transportation dump truck in front of her. The woman is survived by her husband and 3-year-old son, who were both seriously injured in the truck accident. The truck driver was reportedly under the influence of marijuana and half of the brakes on his semitrailer were deemed out of alignment and inadequate for stopping. Although criminal charges have not been filed yet, the death has been ruled a homicide.

For the Northwest Herald article, click here.
For the Daily Herald article, click here.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident, Design Defect in Vehicle, Injuries to Minors and Children, Levin & Perconti In the News, Levin & Perconti in the News, Truck Accident, Wrongful Death

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December 30, 2008

Floor mats to blame in some car accidents

Defectively designed floor mats may be to blame for some car accidents that occur. In some cases, pedals have stuck to the mats, causing car accidents. In others, the mats interfered with one or more pedals.

For the full article.

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Posted In: Automobile Accident, Design Defect in Vehicle

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June 14, 2007

Illinois appellate court rules on GM product liability lawsuit

The Illinois 1st District Appellate Court vacated a direct verdict for GM and remanded the matter for trial, finding that the plaintiff did present enough evidence of a design defect to warrant product liability. In 1999, the plaintiff sustained a severe burn injury after the rear seat of his van exploded into flames after trying to start the van for 10 minutes. At trial in the Cook County Circuit Court, the plaintiff alleged that the design defect rendered the van a fire hazard, but the jury found in favor of GM. The appeals court, however, ruled that GM should have tested the van in order to detect the defect and prevent automobile accidents, and the fact that the victim repeatedly tried to start the van was an act an ordinary consumer would perform without “expect[ing] the interior of the van to ignite.” The plaintiff’s expert presented sufficient evidence to support that specific industry standards of care were not met for the particular defects he identified.

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Posted In: Design Defect in Vehicle, Verdicts and Settlements

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The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.

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