In one specific case, a man driving to work came to a stop at a red light. Behind him, the driver of a mid-size pickup truck failed to notice the red light and slammed into the back of the man’s car, resulting in a moderately bad accident. The driver of the pickup truck walked away uninjured, while the man who was stopped at the red light sustained serious injuries to his spinal cord, ultimately causing paralysis. Although the driver of the pickup was at fault for failing to notice the light’s signal, the other driver should not have suffered such a devastating injury because of the relatively low speed of the collision.
Why This Case Matters
According to current safety standards, car manufacturers are tasked with creating safe vehicles for consumers. When a minor accident results in catastrophic injuries, the safety and crashworthiness of the vehicle becomes a legitimate concern. Crashworthiness cases involve the automobile manufacturer failing to take precautions that reduce the likelihood of injuries resulting from common traffic accidents. When the man’s family came to us, we took this case because a moderate rear impact like he experienced should not have resulted in such debilitating injuries.
