By Drew Johnson
Friday, Dec 24th, 2010
It has been revealed that Toyota paid $10 million to resolve a fatal 2009 crash that was linked to the company's unintended acceleration woes. The well-publicized crash, which occurred in August 2009, killed California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three other members of his family.
The tragic 2009 crash took the lives of Saylor, his wife Chloe, their daughter Mahala and Saylor's brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella. The crash made headlines across the country for a chilling 911 call made by Saylor from inside the vehicle during the event.
Soon after the crash investigators discovered that improper floor mats caused Saylor's loaner 2009 Lexus ES to accelerate out of control, ultimately leading to the death of all four occupants. The dealer that loaned Saylor the car, Bob Baker Lexus, had install all-season floor mats from a Lexus SUV in the ES sedan, causing the accelerator pedal to get stuck.
Toyota reached a settlement with the Saylor family in September, but the amount of the settlement was kept confidential under court orders. However, a California court ruled on Monday that the information was to become public knowledge.
Although the settlement doesn't admit any liability, it could open the flood gates for Toyota. Several other lawsuits involving unintended acceleration are pending against the automotive giant, with the Saylor case potentially setting a precedent for those cases.
"Ten million dollars is a strong indication of admission of liability by Toyota," said Edgar Heiskell, an attorney representing the family of a Michigan woman killed in a crash that they blame on sudden acceleration.
Toyota blames dealership
Although the courts decided to make the settlement known, Toyota blames Bob Baker Lexus for the push the ultimately made the case public.
"Indeed, Bob Baker Lexus already knew the terms of the settlement. However, Mr. Baker now wants the amount publicized in an apparent effort to shift the focus away from his dealership as he continues to litigate this case with the families," Toyota said in a statement.
"Mr. Baker and his dealership continue to ignore the December 2009 San Diego County Sheriff's Department report on the Saylor accident, which determined that the cause was an incompatible all-weather floor mat from a Lexus SUV model that was installed incorrectly in the ES 350 sedan at the dealership then loaned to the Saylor family by Bob Baker Lexus."
It's unfortunate for the Saylor family that the settlement was made public as this situation appears to be spiraling out of control.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-settles-fatal-2009-unintended-acceleration-crash-for-10m.html
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