Individuals around the globe experience the untimely loss of family members every day. However, this somewhat regular occurrence doesn’t make it any easier to work through and cope with when a family finds themselves facing this very tragic situation. If it were possible to present good news to a family suffering such a great loss, it would be that they might be entitled to compensation in the form of wrongful death damages to help them recover from the unexpected loss of their family member.
A family experienced such a loss after a woman’s Toyota malfunctioned, causing her vehicle to increase to excessively dangerous speeds. This unexpected acceleration ultimately resulted in her death, and her family has filed a lawsuit against the car manufacturer, seeking $20 million in damages.
The fatal accident occurred in 2009. The woman was driving a 2006 Toyota Camry, a model in which the manufacturer allegedly decided to leave out the brake override system. The case is going before a state court and the family’s attorney will bring witnesses that will say they saw the woman’s car traveling the wrong way down a one way street at over 100 miles per hour.
The car began to accelerate uncontrollably after the driver of another vehicle went through a stop sign at slow speeds and struck the woman’s vehicle. She had enough control to avoid striking others but unfortunately she could not stop the car from hitting a light pole and a tree, which ultimately led to her untimely death.
Experiencing the unexpected and wrongful loss of a loved one is never an easy situation with which to cope and work through. However, the financial struggles that may arise due to medical bills, death expenses and property damage have the potential to make the situation even more difficult. That is why the damages to which a family may be entitled are so helpful. Although they will not bring back their deceased family member, the money will help to relieve the stress of undue financial obligations and give the family time and energy to focus on emotional recovery.
Source: CBS Los Angeles, “Lawyer To Seek $20 Million In Wrongful Death Suit Against Toyota,” Aug. 8, 2013