Fatal California accident car accident spurs nationwide inspections at Toyota dealers
All Toyota and Lexus dealerships have been told to investigate the floor mats in all the vehicles they sell after a fatal car accident last month in San Diego County.
Four people were killed when a floor mat got caught on a gas pedal in a 2009 Lexus ES 350. The driver, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, could not un-wedge the gas pedal from the mat and the car began to accelerate uncontrollably. The car reached a speed of 120 mph before hitting an SUV.
Saylor and three other members of his family who were riding with him were killed in the crash. The driver of the SUV suffered only minor injuries.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did an investigation into the crash that revealed the floor mat installed in the car Saylor was driving was longer than the standard mat for that particular vehicle. Since the car was being loaned to the Saylor family while their normal car was in repair, they had no experience with it and probably did not notice anything unusual until it was too late.
The floor mat that was installed was actually part of a 2007 safety recall by Toyota because of the potential for the mat to interfere with the pedals.
Accidents caused by defective and dangerous products fall under an area of law called product liability. A product liability lawsuit is directed at the manufacturer, distributor or seller of a product that has potential to cause personal injury or wrongful death. If you or your family has been the victim of an accident that you believe was caused by a product defect, contact an experienced product liability lawyer as soon as possible.
