Although Toyota has already addressed many lawsuits in various court environments regarding unintended acceleration cases, including the eventual $10 million settlement to the surviving members of the family of diseased California Highway Patrolman Mark Saylor, his wife, daughter and brother-in-law, the state of New York is playing host to the first such trial to go to trial with a jury.
The lawsuit was filed directly against Toyota Motor Corp., and was filed by Amir Sitafalwalla, who claims his 2005 Scion accelerated uncontrollably until it hit a tree, according to a Bloomberg report.
Sitafalwalla’s attorney, George Statfeld, said in his opening statement this week that, “An accident did not simply happen,” at which point the attorney went on to make his case for negligence on the part of Toyota. “As soon as he attempted to place the vehicle in park – voom – it took off,” Statfeld told the jurors.
Toyota’s attorneys responded by making the case that it was Sitafalwalla, not the car at fault. “We’re here because Toyota Motor Sales firmly believes that there was no defect in this car,” going on to suggest that “[Sitafalwalla] mistakenly put his foot on the accelerator and not on the brake.”
Adding to the intrigue of the case is the fact that the Scion in question was never included in any recall by Toyota, meaning that the traditional causes to be blamed are likely ruled out. The accident took place in October 2005, and the lawsuit was later filed in 2008.
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Yes, from the above reasons that you have mentioned, one thing is clear that Toyota is the unique one among the entire car industries.
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