Several media outlets, including USA Today, have reported that the first wrongful death lawsuit in regards to Toyota vehicles' sudden acceleration has been settled, and there are hundreds more to come.
According to Toyota spokeswoman Celeste Migliore, the first case was settled with the family of P.V.A. and C.J. The pair were killed in Utah in 2010 when their Toyota Camry crashed into a wall.
There were nine plaintiffs in all in the lawsuit. Mark P. Robinson, the attorney for all nine, did not respond to reporters seeking comment.
Toyota issued a statement that read, "We will have a number of other opportunities to defend our product at trial. We sympathize with anyone in an accident involving one of our vehicles, however we continue to stand fully behind the safety and integrity of Toyota's Electronic Throttle Control System, which multiple independent evaluations have confirmed as safe."
Toyota also stated that some cases maybe be settled, upon the discretion of the company and its attorneys.
A lemon law case was settled earlier, according to the Los Angeles Times, filed by a retired LAPD officer. The settlement and details are yet to be made available to the public.
In a recall of millions of vehicles, Toyota agreed to over a $1 billion settlement to cover hundreds of claims of financial losses by Toyota vehicle owners.
The P.V.A. and C.J. case was the bellwether for the rest of the lawsuits and was due to be heard in court in February.
Before the current cases were combined in Santa Ana's U.S. District Court, a 2010 wrongful death lawsuit was settled by Toyota for $10 million. That case involved a CHP officer and three members of his family. Their Lexus, manufactured by Toyota, sped over 120 mph before crashing into another vehicle and embankment. The car rolled several times before coming to a stop and erupting into flames.
At the time it was the floor mat, found to be the wrong size by investigators, that was blamed for trapping the accelerator pedal to the floor. Discovering the faulty mats led to the recall of over 14 million vehicles, and lawsuits.
Toyota has blamed the faulty floor mats for sticking to their accelerator pedals – and faulty driving – for the vehicle issues.
On November 5, 2010 P.V.A. was driving a Camry on Interstate 80 near Wendover, Utah. The car suddenly accelerated and P.V.A. drove it off the interstate, past a stop sign at the end of the exit ramp and through an intersection.
The vehicle came to a halt when it ran directly into a wall. Both P.V.A. and C.J. were killed. Others in the vehicle, P.V.A.'s son and wife, sustained injuries. C.J. had been engaged to P.V.A.'s son.
Statements taken from witnesses and the injured parties led Utah Highway Patrol officers to conclude that a sticking gas pedal caused the accident.
Loosing a family member in a wrongful death is grounds for a lawsuit. Contact a personal injury lawyer to sue for your damages today!