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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Seat Back Collapse Accidents: Information and
Free Case Review |
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| Properly functioning
seat backs, in addition to seat belts, ensure
that occupants remain positioned upright in their
seat during the impact of a crash, along with
providing the passenger with back support and
comfort. |
| Rear impact collisions
at speeds as low as 12 mph can, however, cause
some seat backs to collapse if the seat back
has a faulty design. When seat backs collapse,
occupants can be ejected, which may cause trauma
to the head or neck and serious spinal cord
injuries from impact with rear seat backs or
cargo. |
| Smartmotorist.com cited
one study of 23 rear impact crashes involving
front seat back collapses. This study showed
that in rear impact accidents, front seat passengers
are either partially or totally ejected from
their seat during impact in a majority of seat
back collapse incidents. |
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| Lieff
Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP represents persons injured
in vehicle accidents. Click
here to submit your case. |
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| A significant precedent
was set for recovery of damages for injuries caused
by seat back collapses when in 2004 a jury entered
a $105.5 million verdict against DiamlerChrysler
in the suit of Flax v. DiamlerChrysler. |
| The case involved
an alleged faulty minivan seat back, that the
jury found caused the death of an infant in
2001. The 8 month-old passenger was killed
when his mother was ejected from her seat during
a crash due to a seat back collapse, which
caused her to fatally strike her child, who
was in a car seat behind her. |
| In March 2005, a jury
awarded $27 million to Connie Mikolajczyk for
the death of her husband, James, who was killed
in February 2000 when the 1996 Ford Escort
he was driving was rear-ended and his seat
collapsed backward, hurling him into the rear
of the car's cabin and fatally injuring him.
The jury found Ford and Mazda, who together
designed the Escort model, as well as the driver
that allegedly caused the accident, mutually
liable for his death. |
| In February 2005,
a Cumberland County, Tennessee jury found Ford
liable and awarded $7 million to Betty Potter.
Potter claimed that the seat in her Ford Explorer
collapsed during a crash, allowing her to be
ejected into the backseat, severing her spinal
cord and resulting in her being left a paraplegic. |
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Our lawyers
have years of experience successfully representing clients
in personal injury cases. |
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There
is no charge or obligation for our review of your case. |
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In death
and serious injury cases, we are pleased to visit you where
you live, at no cost, to discuss your legal rights and answer
your questions. |
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We have
retained product safety and medical experts nationwide to
assist our clients with their claims. |
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| In November 2003, a Maricopa
County, Arizona jury awarded Minnie Mae Douglas
$53.3 million in a suit against DaimlerChrysler.
Douglas was rendered quadriplegic after an accident
in 1999 in which the driver seat recliner bracket
of her Dodge Ram pickup broke, causing her to eject
backwards out of her seat and strike her head on
the cab roof. The case centered on structural weaknesses
in the BR/T-300 outer recliner bracket that exists
in 1995, 1996 and 1997 Dodge Ram extended cab models. |
| It is believed that through
confidential settlements, manufacturers have concealed
many other instances of defective seat backs which
collapsed and caused needless occupant injuries
and deaths. |
| If you have been injured,
or a loved one has been killed, in an accident
involving a collapsed seat back or other auto defect
and would like to learn more about your legal rights,
contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser by clicking
here. There is no charge or obligation for
our review of your case. |
| Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP is an over fifty attorney
law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. For the last five years,
the National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser
as one of the top 20 plaintiffs’ law firms in America. |
| For our personal injury cases, we bring a team of experienced
lawyers. Each client is assigned an individual lawyer. In addition, we have
on staff multiple nurses, legal assistants, scientific analysts and case
clerks to assist the attorneys. To learn more about our firm, click
here. |
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| Trademark
Notice: Personal Injury Lawyer America is an electronic newsletter
from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. Lieff Cabraser
represents clients in a wide range of cases, including personal
injury and wrongful
death lawsuits. Our personal injury attorneys
| lawyers are committed to providing the very best representation
and support possible for our clients. This website provides information
on the legal rights of the injured and the latest news on product
defects and related lawsuits. |
Lieff Cabraser
is not affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of
any trademarks on this site is for product identification and information
purposes only.
About Lieff Cabraser: We have
offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. Our lawyers have
represented clients in personal injury, wrongful death and
rollover crashes and product defect lawsuits across America, including
residents of Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada,
New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin,
West Virginia and Wyoming.
Among the cases our personal injury
attorneys are prosecuting are the Medtronic heart lead recall, the
AMO contact lens solution recall, the Peter Pan peanut butter recall, Guidant
pacemaker defects, SUV
rollover accidents, popcorn
workers lung injuries, and Ford
switch fires.
Disclaimer: The hiring of legal
professionals is an important decision that should not be based on
advertising alone. Please read our disclaimer. |
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| Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP |
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