Toyota finds itself on the receiving end of a wrongful death suit this week after a fatal car wreck in which one of its malfunctioning vehicles was implicated. Out of Texas comes a case naming Michael Harris as the plaintiff. Harris hired a team of attorneys after his wife, Trina, died in a “violent” crash last December when her 2009 Toyota Corolla suddenly took off and collided with a concrete wall after running a stop sign. Trina was killed on impact, leaving behind Michael and the couple’s two children. The lawsuit filed by Harris in the Harris County Civil Court names the Toyota Motor Corp., the manufacturer of the gas pedal, and the specific dealership from where the vehicle was leased as co-defendants.
The suit accuses Toyota and its agents of gross negligence, and claims that the accident came about because of a defect that existed when the car “left the manufacturer’s hands.”
Harris’s lawyers are blaming Toyota, who at the time of the accident was still dodging any admission of fault for the emerging reports of acceleration issues with 2009-2010 Corollas, in addition to the Avalon, Camry, Highlander, RAV4, Sequoia, and Tundra models (with the addition of the Pontiac Vibe, twin to the Matrix). Toyota has since recalled the Corolla for a malfunctioning gas pedal assembly that it admits can cause uncontrolled acceleration and the driver’s loss of control over the vehicle. Michael Harris’s insurance company claims that it is also carrying out its own investigation of the matter.
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