The family of Marianne Murphy has filed a Massachusetts auto products liability lawsuit against Toyota seeking damages for her wrongful death. The 47-year-old Medford woman died last October when her 2010 Toyota Camry accelerated out of control, causing her husband, Gerald Murphy, to crash the vehicle into an Interstate 93 South guardrail.
Gerald was also injured in the Massachusetts car accident. Their children were in the car with them.
According to the family’s Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuit, as Gerald removed his foot from the gas pedal to exit off the interstate on October 18, 2009, the Camry accelerated instead of slowing down. Gerald tried to slow down the car by stepping on the brakes, but the vehicle kept picking up speed until it struck the rails. The family contends that by the time the tragic Toyota runaway car crash happened, the auto manufacturer had already received a number of complaints that some of its vehicles were accelerating out of control.
Gerald is also seeking Medford, Massachusetts personal injury damages from Toyota. He claims he has suffered emotionally and physically from the tragic crash, and he may be permanently disabled.
The federal government has come down on Toyota for the acceleration problems that have led to the recall of over 8.5 million autos in less than 6 months. Problems with ill-fitting floor mat and a sticking gas pedal are the main issues that have caused a number of vehicles to accelerate out of control, and Toyota auto products liability complaints and wrongful death lawsuits are being filed by car crash victims and the families of those that have died.
On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it had purchased a Lexus ES350 from a woman who was involved in a sudden acceleration Toyota accident. NHTSA says they will examine the vehicle.
Local Family Sues Toyota For ‘Wrongful Death’, The Boston Channel, February 27, 2010
NHTSA will test runaway Toyota vehicle, The Detroit News, February 27, 2010
Related Web Resources:
NHTSA
Toyota Motor Corporation Global Site