California Personal Injury Attorneys

The California personal injury lawyers of BISNAR | CHASE have filed a product liability injury lawsuit against General Motors Corporation and Sexton Chevrolet of Manteca, California for knowingly manufacturing a defective seatback and seatbelt that failed to function properly, injuring passenger Wendy Leigh Yates in a 2007 rear-end crash.

Wendy was wearing her seatbelt properly in the passenger seat of her 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and her daughter, Brittney, was driving, when they were rear-ended on an off-ramp from State Route 99 in Modesto, California. Upon impact, Wendy's seatback collapsed, causing her to slip out from under her seatbelt harness and shoulder restraint, and submarine toward the rear of the vehicle. Her head collided with the rear passenger compartment, resulting in numerous skull fractures, seizures, and catastrophic permanent brain injury. Brittney also suffered severe injuries.

GMC was Aware of Defective Seatbacks, Seatbelts

General Motors Corporation knew that certain models of their vehicles could not withstand a modest rear-end impact. In the case of Wendy Yates, the car that hit her Tahoe was traveling only approximately 30 mph. If passengers are using the safety and restraining features, such as seatbelts, properly, catastrophic injuries should not be the result of a low-force rear-end impact unless components in the vehicle are defective.

Further, Wendy slipped out from her properly secured seatbelt and shoulder restraints when her seatback collapsed. General Motors was aware that the seatbelt in their Tahoe model would malfunction, should the Tahoe be impacted in a rear-end collision. The defective seat belt system failed to prevent Wendy from suffering severe personal injuries.

Under FMVSS 301, erected in 1976 to ensure the safety of passengers in vehicles sold in the U.S., all automakers selling automobiles in the U.S. must document, film, or videotape testing of rear-end barrier impact crashes. In spite knowing how these components performed in videotaped testing, GM continued to manufacture defective seatbacks and seatbelts and did so to prevent loss of income and bad press.

Wendy Yates seeks compensation for damages for herself, her daughter and her husband for past, present, and future medical expenses, past loss of earnings, loss of earning capacity, general damage for future suffering and loss of consortium for enduring hardship as a result of injuries.

Read further here: California Personal Injury Lawyers File Products Liability Injury Lawsuit Against General Motors Corporation, and stay current with BISNAR | CHASE press releases .

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.