2nd Lawsuit Filed Against Toyota...This Time A Death Involved...

 

Today, I filed the second lawsuit in Chicago, Illinois (Cook County Case No. 2010-L-002399) on behalf of Willette Green against Toyota alleging strict liability and negligence. This one involved the death of a pedestrian and injuries to Plaintiff after her 2006 Lexus ES 330 was unable to stop.

The lawsuit alleges:

On August 26, 2008, the Plaintiff was involved in an automobile accident at or near the intersection of 22nd Street and the feeder ramp from I-94 in Chicago, Illinois after her gas pedal—in the Lexus at issue and referenced herein—stuck and Plaintiff was unable to stop at the intersection, resulting in the death of a pedestrian, a crash with a third party, property damage and injuries to Plaintiff and others involved.

The lawsuit further alleges:

TOYOTA, by and through its agents, employees or representatives, was then and there guilty of one or more of the following careless negligent acts and/or omissions:

               

a.     carelessly and negligently designed, manufactured and sold the above-described Lexus;

b.     carelessly and negligently failed to institute and enforce a policy for review of the automobiles that it designs, manufactures and sells, including the aforestated Lexus, to insure that the Lexus and the vehicles are sold with adequate safeguards and controls; and

c.      was otherwise careless and negligent in the design, manufacture and sale of the above-described Lexus. 

The lawsuit further alleges:

The above-described Lexus was manufactured, sold and placed into the stream of commerce by the Defendant, TOYOTA, in an unsafe and defective condition and was unreasonably dangerous to its users by reason of, among others, the following defects in its design, manufacture, testing and/or marketing:

a.     in designing, manufacturing and providing the vehicle at issue of such construction that it could fail for multiple reasons, including its inability to stop or slow down, during normal foreseeable use;

b.     in failing to provide proper and clear warning of the dangers that the vehicle at issue might fail by not working as advertised and intended, causing injuries and damages to the Plaintiff;

c.      in failing to use available design and engineering skill or knowledge to produce a vehicle that would allow for proper operation;

d.     in failing to provide adequate operating instructions and warnings to Plaintiff who used the vehicle at issue even though the Defendant knew or should have known that such warnings were necessary for the safe use of the vehicle at issue;

e.     in failing to adequately inspect and test the vehicle at issue for safety prior to offering it for sale;

f.      in failing to discover that the vehicle at issue was dangerously defective, improperly designed and manufactured, inadequately tested and inspected, entirely unfit for duty and unsafe for use, constituting a hazard to Plaintiff; and/or

g.    in other respects to be proved at trial.

If you believe you have been injured or suffered any property damage as a result of a potential gas pedal sticking, call us at 312.375.6524 to discuss your particular situation 24/7/365 and we'll determine if we can help.

 

The Attorney That Answers His Own Phone...24/7/365

A colleague of mine, friend and great attorney in Wisconsin, Jonathan Groth, noted the signs of an attorney who listens and cares on his blog here when he said:

I just finished a jury trial in Milwaukee County. During the trial preparation my client and I were talking about how long we’ve known each other. I was the attorney that answered the phone when he called in the very first time soon after the collision. He didn’t talk with a paralegal, 'intake specialist' or secretary. I worked with him since, literally, day one.

Jon went on to note something that is absolutely paramount when choosing a lawyer: 

This kind of service is important to think about when you search/interview for your attorney. Hiring an attorney is a very personal matter. Availability (email, cell phone etc) and personality are extremely important to make sure your attorney will be with you for the long haul. By this I mean potentially to trial. Even though the vast majority of my clients’ cases settle before filing a lawsuit and before trial I think it helps them to know that their attorney will be willing and has the experience to fight at trial.

Like Jon Groth does in Wisconsin, I do in Illinois: you call, I answer the phone--24/7/365. Send an e-mail--you'll get a response. If I don't answer immediately, I either have 3 other calls coming in or am in front of a Judge or in a deposition and I guarantee you will receive a return call that day or evening. Your issues matter. Make sure your attorney answers his or her phone--and listens.

First Suit Against Toyota in Chicago and Illinois...

According to Robert Langendorf, one of the attorneys for Mr. Izenstark, and an attorney I am working with on Toyota cases, we believe we have filed the first suit against Toyota in Chicago and perhaps Illinois for the gas pedal problem. Mr. Langendorf was quoted in the front page of the Business Section of the Chicago Tribune on February 6, 2010 here

In addition, unique to this case is that we also sued Hertz for renting the vehicle to the Plaintiff when it 'knew, or should have known about dangerous issues with Toyotas or the Toyota recall or intended recall.' 

If you believe you have been injured or suffered any property damage as a result of a potential gas pedal sticking, call us at 312.375.6524 to discuss your particular situation 24/7/365 and we'll determine if we can help.

Suit Filed Against Toyota For Gas Pedal Sticking...

Today, we filed a lawsuit in Chicago, Illinois (Cook County Case No. 2010-L-001675) against Toyota and Hertz alleging strict liability and negligence. Hertz actually rented the 2010 Toyota Corolla long after Toyota noted potential problems with gas pedals in various models.

The lawsuit alleges:

TOYOTA, by and through its agents, employees or representatives, was then and there guilty of one or more of the following careless negligent acts and/or omissions:

a.      carelessly and negligently designed, manufactured and sold the above-described Corolla;

 

b.     carelessly and negligently failed to institute and enforce a policy for review of the automobiles that it designs, manufactures and sells, including the aforestated Corolla, to insure that the Corolla and the vehicles are sold with adequate safeguards and controls; and

 

c.      was otherwise careless and negligent in the design, manufacture and sale of the above-described Corolla.

The lawsuit further alleges:

The above-described Corolla was manufactured, sold and placed into the stream of commerce by the Defendant, TOYOTA, in an unsafe and defective condition and was unreasonably dangerous to its users by reason of, among others, the following defects in its design, manufacture, testing and/or marketing:

a.     in designing, manufacturing and providing the vehicle at issue of such construction that it could fail for multiple reasons, including its inability to stop or slow down, during normal foreseeable use;

 

b.     in failing to provide proper and clear warning of the dangers that the vehicle at issue might fail by not working as advertised and intended, causing injuries and damages to the Plaintiff;

 

c.      in failing to use available design and engineering skill or knowledge to produce a vehicle that would allow for proper operation;

 

d.     in failing to provide adequate operating instructions and warnings to Plaintiff who used the vehicle at issue even though the Defendant knew or should have known that such warnings were necessary for the safe use of the vehicle at issue;

 

e.     in failing to adequately inspect and test the vehicle at issue for safety prior to offering it for sale;

 

f.      in failing to discover that the vehicle at issue was dangerously defective, improperly designed and manufactured, inadequately tested and inspected, entirely unfit for duty and unsafe for use, constituting a hazard to Plaintiff; and/or

 

g.    in other respects to be proved at trial.

The lawsuit further alleges:

HERTZ, by and through its agents, employees or representatives, was then and there guilty of one or more of the following careless negligent acts and/or omissions:

a.      carelessly and negligently rented, cared, maintained and serviced the above-described Corolla;

 

b.     carelessly and negligently failed to institute and enforce a policy for review of the automobiles that it rents, including the aforestated Corolla, to insure that the vehicles are rented with adequate safeguards and controls or that such vehicles, including the Corolla at issue, is safe to entrust to its customers;

 

c.      carelessly and negligently made the vehicle available for rent knowing, or in a situation where it should have known, of problems with the Corolla at issue or the Toyota recall or future, intended recall; and

 

d.     was otherwise careless and negligent in the rental, care, maintenance and service of the above-described Corolla. 

If you believe you have been injured or suffered any property damage as a result of a potential gas pedal sticking, call us at 312.375.6524 to discuss your particular situation 24/7/365 and we'll determine if we can help.

 

Toyota Gas Pedals Admittedly Sticking...

According to a Toyota press release, Toyota intends to recall 2.3 million vehicles to fix accelerator or gas pedals. Toyota claims its engineers "have developed and rigorously tested a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick in rare instances." 

Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.'s President and Chief Operating Officer, has stated:

We know what’s causing the sticking accelerator pedals, and we know what we have to do to fix it. 

Per Toyota, vehicles affected by the recall include:

• Certain 2009-2010 RAV

• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla

• 2009-2010 Matrix

• 2005-2010 Avalon

• Certain 2007-2010 Camry

• Certain 2010 Highlander

• 2007-2010 Tundra

• 2008-2010 Sequoia 

If you believe you have been injured or suffered any property damage as a result of a potential gas pedal sticking, call us at 312.375.6524 to discuss your particular situation 24/7/365 and we'll determine if we can help.