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CNN Money reported on September 6, 2016 that General Motors (GM) settled two closely watched lawsuits over cars that had faulty ignition switches. The law suits revolved around the scandal in which GM was involved after admitting that the ignition switches should have been recalled in 2004, when they only recalled the ignition switches ten years later in 2014. The faulty ignition switches, when jostled, could cause vehicles to shut off while driving and disable some safety features such as the airbags. 

The specific cases, according to NBC News, which were settled involved women driving at low speeds: 

• The first case was a woman in Virginia who was driving her 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt home from a friend’s house on June 28, 2011, when she lost control and hit a stone wall. The air bags did not deploy. The woman suffered a closed head injury, broken hip and broken jaw.

• In the second case, an owner of a 2003 Saturn Ion in Kentucky swerved to avoid hitting a deer. After doing so, she could not regain control of her vehicle and crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. The injured woman broke her sternum and suffered multiple neck fractures. 

The Insurance Journal reported that the agreements resolve only part of the legal problems for GM as GM is facing hundreds of more claims of deaths and injuries in federal and state courts in the U.S. related to its 2014 recall of millions of U.S. cars with faulty switches. The devices in GM’s initial recall have been linked to at least 124 deaths, with the largest U.S. automaker paying at least $870 million to settle claims and an additional $900 million to the Department of Justice to resolve a criminal investigation. 

Florida law requires manufacturers and distributors of unsafe consumer products, including vehicle parts, to be held financially responsible for injuries and deaths caused by their product defects.  

There are different ways a product may be defective. It may be defective by design, become defective in the manufacturing process, become damaged in shipment and/or storage, or when being installed incorrectly. If a manufacturer, such as GM and the defective ignition switches, knows but does not warn the consumer, or adequately warn the consumer, it under Florida law can be held liable. 

“Unsafe vehicle cases can be complicated. We at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P. A. have an unsafe vehicle legal team which investigates not only the current condition of the product, but also delves into whether the product was dangerous at the time that it left the manufacturer or the designer of the product. Being injured in an accident because of an unsafe vehicle can be devastating. Our team of experts has helped numerous people and their families in these cases,” said Fort Myers Unsafe Vehicle Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Unsafe Vehicle Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com. Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.