Over the last few months, this site has periodically reported on the massive GM recall. Several people have been killed and many more injured from the malfunction of the vehicle ignition switch. This past week brought a unique legal claim that if successful, may open the carmaker to more litigation.
A Texas woman who was convicted of negligent homicide has filed the federal lawsuit. The car accident in question occurred in 2004. The woman now claims that she was not at fault for the accident due to the defective car part. In her opinion, the accident investigators were incorrect when they cited the lack of skid marks as proof that her driving was the direct cause of the accident. In the lawsuit, she contends that GM’s concealment of the ignition-switch problem was the cause of the false assumptions. As a result, she is seeking damages from GM.
In a separate action, the imprisoned woman is also seeking to have her criminal conviction vacated. Currently there is no word on the outcome of either case. Everyday in New Orleans, accident victims are negatively affected by the negligence of another driver. Some face physical impairments as a result of their injuries. Those who aren’t physically injured can face financial impairments that make it difficult to move forward after an accident.
An accident attorney can help accident victims get proper compensation and move forward with their lives. Even if an insurance company seeks to limit recovery, an attorney may be able to help.
Source: www.abajournal.com, “Woman sues GM over criminal conviction resulting from car crash,” Martha Neil, June 9, 2014
