Toyota Pays Out $10 Million for California Lawsuit Settlement
The automaker Toyota has paid $10 million to settle a lawsuit brought against them on behalf of a state trooper who was killed in a fatal auto accident. This lawsuit was one of the initial sparks that brought attention to Toyota’s safety issues with the sudden acceleration problem on many of their vehicles. The incident that occurred in 2009 involved off-duty officer Mark Saylor, his 13-year-old daughter and his brother-in-law.
The Lexus ES sedan Saylor was driving suddenly accelerated because the accelerator pedal got stuck by the floor mat. The vehicle accelerated to 120 miles per hour and collided with another vehicle and went through a fence before coming to a stop in a field where it rolled over several times. The vehicle subsequently caught fire and all three occupants were killed. The terms of the settlement beyond the amount have not been disclosed.
According to the report, this was one of the first incidents that sparked the legal troubles for Toyota. To date, Toyota has recalled several million vehicles worldwide. Product liability is a major concern not only for automakers but for any other producers of consumer products. Incidents such as this accident have occurred all over the world and many families lose their loved ones as a result of Toyota’s inability to maintain safety precautions in their vehicles.
