antiquity
01-16-2003, 02:23 PM
California court upholds $15.4 mln verdict vs. GM
January 15, 2003 5:15:00 PM ET
DETROIT, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A California appeals court has upheld a $15.4 million judgment against General Motors Corp. (GM) in favor of a man who was paralyzed in the rollover crash of a Chevrolet Blazer sport utility vehicle, lawyers said on Wednesday.
The California Court of Appeals upheld on Tuesday a 2001 jury verdict for Robbie Lambert, who was left a quadriplegic when, after falling asleep at the wheel, his Blazer drifted off a highway and flipped over.
During the rollover, the roof of the SUV caved in about 10 inches, striking Lambert on the head and causing his injuries, the court said in a document provided by Lambert's lawyers. The Blazer had the weakest roof of any vehicle manufactured by the giant U.S. automaker, the court said.
The jury awarded damages of $25.7 million in damages, assigning 60 percent of the fault for Lambert's injuries to GM, for a net judgment of $15.4 million against the automaker.
GM argued that Lambert was injured when his head hit the "roof rail" above the windows, before the roof was crushed.
A GM spokesman said the automaker was considering whether to appeal the ruling.
"GM continues to believe that the roof performance
was satisfactory, and had nothing to do with Mr.
Lambert's injuries," GM spokesman Jay Cooney said.
The court said that, at the cost of a few dollars, GM could have used different roof rails above the windows which would have prevented Lambert's injuries.
Lambert's case has highlighted U.S. safety standards for car and truck roofs, which some have criticized for being too weak. REUTERS
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/category/industryarticle.asp?feed=RTR&Date=20030115&ID=2238338
January 15, 2003 5:15:00 PM ET
DETROIT, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A California appeals court has upheld a $15.4 million judgment against General Motors Corp. (GM) in favor of a man who was paralyzed in the rollover crash of a Chevrolet Blazer sport utility vehicle, lawyers said on Wednesday.
The California Court of Appeals upheld on Tuesday a 2001 jury verdict for Robbie Lambert, who was left a quadriplegic when, after falling asleep at the wheel, his Blazer drifted off a highway and flipped over.
During the rollover, the roof of the SUV caved in about 10 inches, striking Lambert on the head and causing his injuries, the court said in a document provided by Lambert's lawyers. The Blazer had the weakest roof of any vehicle manufactured by the giant U.S. automaker, the court said.
The jury awarded damages of $25.7 million in damages, assigning 60 percent of the fault for Lambert's injuries to GM, for a net judgment of $15.4 million against the automaker.
GM argued that Lambert was injured when his head hit the "roof rail" above the windows, before the roof was crushed.
A GM spokesman said the automaker was considering whether to appeal the ruling.
"GM continues to believe that the roof performance
was satisfactory, and had nothing to do with Mr.
Lambert's injuries," GM spokesman Jay Cooney said.
The court said that, at the cost of a few dollars, GM could have used different roof rails above the windows which would have prevented Lambert's injuries.
Lambert's case has highlighted U.S. safety standards for car and truck roofs, which some have criticized for being too weak. REUTERS
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/category/industryarticle.asp?feed=RTR&Date=20030115&ID=2238338