Hydraulic Lift – Automotive

Worker suffered traumatic and permanent disabling injuries when his right ankle and foot were trapped and crushed while using the defendants' hydraulic lift gate. Plaintiff was standing on the lift gate and controlling the upward movement of the lift with the accessible control bar. When the piece of equipment he was loading into the

Lap Belt – Another Example

Eight-year-old boy sustained serious spinal injuries resulting in paraplegia from a rear seat lap belt installed as original equipment in his mother's car. The boy was seated in the right seating position of the middle bench seat of his mother's car. Prior to impact, he was sitting straight up in his seat, wearing the

Lap/Shoulder Belt Option v. Standard Equipment

One child died and one was severely injured when the wagon driven by their father collided with another vehicle. The children were seated in the middle bench seat wearing the lap seat belts provided by the manufacturer. The manufacturer sold the same wagon with rear seat lap/shoulder belts as standard equipment in four other

Accelerator

The plaintiff was driving a late model American-made car and was in the process of accelerating when his accelerator pedal stuck and did not release. A serious crash resulted and plaintiff sustained serious and permanent injuries. Expert examination revealed that the cause of the accelerator's sticking was an inadequately designed throttle linkage system.

Exploding Air Bag

Plaintiff's husband had been given a car by his company for his business use which was equipped with an air bag, the purpose of which was to inflate upon collision of the car with an object. While the plaintiff and her husband were sitting in the car, the air bag suddenly exploded, causing the

Exhaust System

Plaintiff, who had been a truck driver for 20 years, was given a new diesel truck to drive in the course of his employment. The plaintiff noticed as he was driving the cab that it filled up with exhaust. He complained about the exhaust to his employer. Some time later he suffered a heart

Abandoned Car; Gas Tank Explosion

The plaintiff, a 13-year-old boy, had been fishing in a nearby river on a cold spring day. He built a small fire near an old car in a field to keep warm. As plaintiff was standing near the car there was a flash fire and explosion and plaintiff was struck with flames. His jacket

Tailgate Latch

As a family was driving on a major highway in their new station wagon, the rear tailgate door suddenly opened, causing a child to fall out of the car. The car following behind the station wagon struck the child and caused her serious injury. Before leaving on the trip the father had secured the

Gas Tank Fire and Explosion

The driver was killed due to burn injuries and his passenger was extensively and severely burned when the automobile in which they were riding burst into flames upon being struck in the rear by another vehicle. Suit was brought against the manufacturer on negligence, breach of warranty and strict liability claims, based on the

Automobile Seat Design

While plaintiff's small foreign car was stalled on an interstate highway, it was struck from behind. During the rear impact collision, the loading force of the passenger against the seat back caused an upward force on the seat bottom. The force was strong enough to cause the seat runner to separate from the tracks

Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle

The plaintiff was severely injured when the four-wheel drive vehicle he was driving rolled over, trapping him underneath. Examination of the vehicle and available literature revealed that this type of vehicle, even at low speed, was extremely vulnerable to rollovers due to its high center-of-gravity. Suit was brought against the manufacturer for defective design

Utility Truck

Plaintiff suffered severe, permanent, disabling, and disfiguring injuries including a fracture-dislocation of the cervical spine at C5-6 level with resulting quadriplegia after a utility vehicle went out of control. Plaintiff's recovery was based on allegations that said the vehicle was defective in that its fiberglass roof failed, causing him to be ejected from the

Vehicle Roof

An automobile equipped with a T-top rolled over and the a-pillar collapsed, resulting in the detachment of one of the bayonet rods holding the T-top. The T-top then impacted with the neck of the woman driving the vehicle, causing an injury to the fifth cervical vertebrae. The claim was settled for a substantial sum

Fuel Storage System

Father was operating a motor vehicle, when he ran over a tree branch. There were five passengers in the vehicle, including Father's three young children. After running over the branch, Father smelled gasoline and pulled over to the side of the road. Gasoline was seen to be leaking out of the fuel tank. Father

Door Latch

Woman was a passenger in a car when she was ejected from the vehicle when the car door opened during a collision. As a result of the accident, the woman sustained injury to her cervical spine. The woman brought suit against the car manufacturer claiming the vehicle had a defective door latch system. The

Hydraulic Lift

Worker suffered traumatic and permanent disabling injuries when his right ankle and foot were trapped and crushed while using the defendants' hydraulic lift gate. Plaintiff was standing on the lift gate and controlling the upward movement of the lift with the accessible control bar. When the piece of equipment he was loading into the

Rollover

Driver and passengers in Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) sustained serious injury when their SUV rolled over several times after a side-impact collision.

Steering Mechanism; Station Wagon – Automotive

The plaintiff was driving a 1967 station wagon down a major highway. Her husband and small daughter were asleep. The plaintiff accelerated the car to pass another car. She suddenly lost control of the steering and the rear of the car began to swerve from side to side. The car crashed and the occupants

Steering Mechanism; Station Wagon

The plaintiff was driving a 1967 station wagon down a major highway. Her husband and small daughter were asleep. The plaintiff accelerated the car to pass another car. She suddenly lost control of the steering and the rear of the car began to swerve from side to side. The car crashed and the occupants

Steering Mechanism; Sports Car

A girl had noticed for several days that her sports car had a tendency to veer suddenly to the left as the car was shifted into high gear. Before embarking on a trip of several miles, she apprised her regular service station mechanic of the tendency; but he thought the difficulty no more serious

Tire Explosion: Injury to Service Station Employee

Plaintiff, a Service Station Employee, age 49, sustained an injury while in the process of mounting a tire on a wheel rim purchased more than six years before the date of the accident. The injuries were sustained as the tire exploded when it was being mounted on the rim. Plaintiff sustained a nasal fracture

Tire Explosion; Injury to Service Station Customer

A service station customer was blinded and paralyzed when struck by a tire blown off a mechanical tire changer as it was being inflated and mounted on a wheel rim. Expert reconstruction established that the air compressor feeding air to the tire was dangerously over-pressurized; that the tire mounting machine failed to contain proper

Gears; Flywheel

As a truckdriver downshifted his gears, suddenly the flywheel came smashing through the floorboard of the truck and struck him. As a result of this, he lost control of his vehicle, crashed, and suffered severe personal injuries. Two days after the accident, the driver received a recall notice from the manufacturer of the truck,

Gas Tank Explosion

The plaintiff was a 22-year-old high school graduate. He had enlisted in the Navy and hoped to become a printer. He was a passenger in an automobile which was struck in the rear by another vehicle, causing the gas tanks of both vehicles to explode. He suffered extensive third-degree burns and permanent disfigurement. His

Limited Slip Differential

Plaintiff was driving a 1963 vehicle equipped with a part known as a limited slip differential, which caused the plaintiff to lose control of his vehicle as he encountered a wet road surface. His car crossed the median strip and ran into another vehicle. The collision left the plaintiff permanently paralyzed. Defendant failed to

Products Liability – Automotive

SEND US A MESSAGE

Our Practice Areas

MEET OUR ATTORNEYS

At Swartz & Swartz, P.C., we are very proud of our high-caliber legal talent, and we assure you that your case will get personal attention.