Defective Car Seat Ruled to Have Caused CA Woman's Neck Injuries, Paralyiss

8/29/2011
Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton
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Defective Car Seat Ruled to Have Caused CA Woman's Neck Injuries, Paralyiss

Quadriplegia, total or partial loss of control over one's arms and legs, was the result of severe neck and head injuries a woman from Los Angeles, California (CA), when her car was rear-ended in 2006. But she did not get thrown into the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. Instead, according to the lawyer who represented her in a defective products lawsuit against the maker of the driver's seat in her car, the woman's "seat broke and collapsed backwards, allowing her body to submarine rearward underneath her seat belt and shoulder restraint. Her head struck the back of the rear passenger seat,"

The impact broke four bones in her neck and permanently damaged her spinal cord, leaving her in a wheelchair and need significant in-home health care for life. In this news video, the accident victim describes her struggles since the crash:

Evidence presented to the jury showed the car seat's maker, Johnson Controls, knew as far back as the mid-1990s that the seat could fail to protect passengers and drivers in collisions at speeds as low as 30 mph. Because jurors understood that Johnson Controls' failure to recall a product it knew to be defective and unsafe for its intended purpose, they awarded the paralyzed woman a judgment of $24.7 million.

As a Virginia (VA) spinal cord injury attorney, I have seen firsthand how much the lives of people who suffer severe head and neck trauma change for the worse. I congratulate the lawyers at the CA law firm of Bisnar Chase for holding the corporation whose apparent decision to put profits over protecting people accountable to the woman whose broken neck and paralysis can be traced to its negligence.

EJL

Category: Brain Damage/Head Injuries

Labels: California Cooper defective product lawsuit head and neck injuries Johnson Controls jury verdict loss of control of arms and legs paralysis permanent disability quadriplegia rear-end car accident Virginia spinal cord injury attorney

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a VA injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases brought by victims of traumatic brain injury and closed head injuries. In fact, in 2000, our firm helped a plaintiff receive what was then the largest verdict ever in a Virginia brain injury case. Then in the year 2012 we won a $21 million brain injury verdict. We also have a blog in which we discuss only topics related to brain injuries and head wounds.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been named to the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008.Shapiro and Lewis have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2008. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive this professional honor. In addition, our firm was the first in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA injury law firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.
We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Suffolk and Newport News if you or a family member has been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness. While not every case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations. Call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can get back to you.

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Defective Car Seat Ruled to Have Caused CA Woman's Neck Injuries, Paralyiss

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