The families of two Texas A&M students hit General Motors and Enterprise Rent-A-Car with a lawsuit after the young men died in a car accident. According to the lawsuit, a Chevy Cruz rental car that the men were driving accelerated suddenly and without warning. The car swerved off the road into the San Antonio River drowning the students, alleges the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims that a defect in the Chevy Cruz car the students were driving caused unintended acceleration. Further, says the complaint, all Chevy Cruz cars may be affected by the defect. Three other instances of unintended acceleration were noted in the lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is being filed to protect everybody in this country that may have this vehicle,” said the father of one in the men in a press conference held after the family filed the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that the students were driving the rented Chevy Cruz to attend a student government conference in February 2017. According to the Chevy Cruz lawsuit, the students were driving in a reasonable and prudent manner, but could not stop the car from accelerating.
The Chevy Cruz could have been affected by three different issues causing the unintended acceleration, according to the lawsuit, including:
- A software malfunction;
- Failure of the front tire rode; or
- Failure of the rear wheel.
At the press conference, the attorneys for the family said that they will need to access the Chevy Cruz the students were driving to determine the cause of the unintended acceleration. They also say they plan to question engineers from General Motors, the company that manufactures the Chevy Cruz.
Recently, General Motors has been hit with lawsuits over faulty ignition switches. The company admitted that it installed faulty ignition switches in almost 3 million vehicles after 124 deaths were linked to the issue. GM paid more than $1 billion in fines and settlement awards over the faulty switches.
Car Accident Lawsuits
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 30,000 people died in car accidents in 2014. Far more suffered injury and property damage.
After a car accident, the driver or their loved ones should contact an attorney for help. A good attorney can help negotiate with the driver of the car, car manufacturer, and/or their insurance company.
An experienced attorney knows what legal options there are after a car accident and ensures that their client gets the monetary compensation they need.
If a car accident was caused by a defect in the vehicle, an attorney can help launch an investigation into the problem and initiate a lawsuit that, in addition to compensation for their client, can also protect others who may be harmed by car accidents caused by the defect.
If you or a loved one have been in a car accident caused by a defect, contact the experienced attorneys at McDonald Worley to evaluate your claim.
Note: McDonald Worley is not representing the plaintiff in this lawsuit.