Kia Wrongful Death Suit
On July 4, 2004, a Mobile, Alabama teen was driving a Kia and wearing her seatbealt when she lost control of the car, struck a sign and flipped over. During the car crash her seatbelt buckle failed and she was ejected from the car and died from her injuries. Shortly after the crash, her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit based upon a defective products claim.
Her father bought a 1999 Kia Sephia for his daughter's sixteenth birthday. Before he gave the car to her, he took it to the Kia dealership to have it serviced and all of the recall work done. He changed the tires and did all the maintenance needed to make it safe. Even though Kia corporate officials knew there was a safety defect with the seatbelt buckles, they failed to issue a recall and the original defective buckles remained in the car.
In December 2002, Kia issued a recall for only model years 1995 through 1998, even though the models manufactured from 1995 through 2000 all had the same buckle. There were 189,000 cars recalled in 2002 which left 251,000 cars on the street because the owners of these cars were not notified of the safety defect. In August of 2004, one month after the young woman died, Kia recalled the 1999 and 2000 models.
On June 23, 2011, a Mobile County, Alabama jury rewarded the family a $40 million wrongful death verdict against Kia Motors of America, Inc., Kia Motors Corporation, and DBI/Celltrion. This came after five years of litigation and two appeals to the Alabama Supreme Court.
If you or someone you know has been injured in car crash please call one of our good personal injury lawyers to assist you in getting what you deserve. Our Myrtle Beach personal injury lawyers are here to help so please call The Mace Firm and schedule a free consultation.
