Motor vehicle accidents can have tragic consequences for victims and their families. The injuries sustained from motor vehicle accidents vary in severity, including broken bones, paralysis and even wrongful death. When car accidents occur, we hope that our vehicles will keep us safe. But when defects in the vehicle cause an accident or allow injuries to be made worse, the results can be devastating. In these cases, there are legal remedies against vehicle manufacturers responsible for the defect under a theory that the company knew or should have known of the defect and its dangers.
Patricia Collins filed a products liability lawsuit against General Motors and Ibrahim’s Autoplex in the New Orleans Parish Civil District Court on December 31st of last year. The New Orleans woman purchased her 2005 Pontiac Grand GT at the Autoplex in January of 2012, just under two years before her tragic accident on January 3, 2014. According to her complaint, Ms. Collins was operating her vehicle in a safe and prudent manner when the “Supplemental Inflatable Restraint” (SIR) system malfunctioned. Suddenly, without warning, the airbags deployed.
Ms. Collins suffered personal injuries, including a serious wrist injury. She is seeking an unspecified amount of damages for her personal injuries, pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages and permanent disability. Her lawsuit allegations are twofold: first, Ms. Collins is accusing General Motors of designing and manufacturing a defective SIR system; and second, failing to inform consumers that the SIR system could deploy without warning and without an accident. Second, the lawsuit alleges Ibrahim’s Autoplex is liable for having sold defective products. According to the Louisiana Record, Ms. Collins will be represented by attorney Michele Gaudin.
