Family brings products liability, wrongful death suit against GM

After a young man lost his life in a car accident, the man’s family has decided to pursue legal action. The family believes that there was a product defect with the ignition switch that ultimately caused the car crash. The Virginia family names General Motors as the defendant in their products liability and wrongful death suit.

On Jan. 6, 2012, the young man was driving on his way home when he lost control of his vehicle, resulting in a fatal crash. When the emergency responders arrived at the scene, the police reportedly told the family that they were perplexed as to what had actually caused the accident. Eventually, the family began to suspect that a product defect with the vehicle was responsible for the accident.

Reportedly, there is a product defect with certain GM vehicles in which the key in the ignition can actually slip into the “accessory” or “off” positions while the vehicle is traveling. This incident can not only cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle, but also it keeps the airbags from deploying when a crash occurs. The family felt as if they had enough evidence to file a claim directly with GM, but they were denied.

The Virginia family has decided to bring a wrongful death and products liability suit against GM because they still feel as if they have enough evidence to prove that the young man died because of the defective product. The family is seeking unspecified punitive damages as well. Additionally, they view the suit as a way to punish GM for the product defect that has led to at least 50 recorded deaths. If any other families in our state have experienced a similar loss, they may also be able to take legal action.

Source: wtop.com, “Virginia family sues General Motors after 2012 death“, Mike Murillo, Jan. 30, 2015