According to a Reuters report, General Motors Co has been slapped with what appeared to be the first wrongful death lawsuit over a car model's ignition defect. The automaker has recalled 1.6 million GM vehicles back in February.
The lawsuit was reportedly filed late Friday in a Minnesota state court by a legal representative of behalf of the survivors of the three teenage girls who got killed or injured in 2006 involving a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. The model is one of the many GM has ordered a recall over issues with its ignition switch. It was made known that the automaker was aware of the defect for the last ten years and had only commissioned the recall recently.
According to the lawsuit, 19-year-old Megan Phillips lost control of the car when the ignition switch of the Chevy Cobalt turned from "run" to "accessory" position swiftly, disconnecting power to the vehicle's steering, breaking and airbag systems. The car, along with Philips and co-passengers Amy Rademaker, 15, and Natasha Weigel, 18, crashed into a a telephone junction box and two trees after careening off a road. Rademaker and Weigel never made it, but Philips was alive, sustaining serious injuries in her body and brain in the process.
Robert Hilliard of Hilliard Munoz Gonzales said in a statement, "GM hid this dangerous, life-threatening defect from my clients and all other Cobalt drivers for over a decade just to avoid the cost of a recall. GM is guilty of betraying our trust."
The families are seeking over $50,000 each, added Hillard.
Reuters said that the accident occurred before GM filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. Despite the fact that the new entity stemming from GM's bankruptcy filing is legally not liable with accidents or incidents before July of 2009, Hillard's lawsuit still named GM as a defendant.
