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Monterey jury awards $12 million to woman who blamed Toyota for (drunken) crash
Daily Journal / AP ^ | 10-20-2014

Posted on 10/20/2014 6:24:28 PM PDT by Citizen Zed

A jury has awarded $12 million to a California woman who blamed Toyota for leaving her a paraplegic after a crash.

The Superior Court panel in Monterey awarded the money last Friday to Chelsie Hill of Pacific Grove and found Toyota 90 percent liable for her injuries.

Hill was a rear passenger in a Toyota 4Runner — driven by a drunken teenager — that crashed in Monterey in 2010.

Spinal injuries left her unable to walk.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailyjournal.net ...


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Party! Party! Party!
1 posted on 10/20/2014 6:24:28 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
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To: Citizen Zed

So how is it Toyota’s fault that the drunken teen crashed the car?


2 posted on 10/20/2014 6:28:21 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (The cure has become worse than the disease. Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: Citizen Zed

Oh crap, now the company lawyers are going to start forcing them to include breathalyzer interlocks in every vehicle (at OUR cost and OUR inconvenience and OUR cost to maintain). I support the death penalty for stupid jurors.


3 posted on 10/20/2014 6:29:43 PM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
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To: Citizen Zed

Reminds me of a jury award. A “photographer” mounted a camera in the rear seat of a small plane, and extended the plane’s controls so he could theoretically operate both the camera and the plane.

He couldn’t do both, and successfully sued the plane manufacturer after the crash.


4 posted on 10/20/2014 6:31:42 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
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To: Blood of Tyrants

A more appropriate target would have been the Feds for the CAFE standards. Of course in a sane world, which we no longer have, the blame would have been 50% on the drunk teen and 50% on her for getting in the car with a drunk driver.

She claims that the lap belt wasn’t enough and the car should have had a shoulder harness also. Blame the Feds for not mandating it, not the car maker!


5 posted on 10/20/2014 6:32:55 PM PDT by logic101.net (How many more children must die on the altar of gun free zones?)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Toyota forced the teen to drink and drive.


6 posted on 10/20/2014 6:34:09 PM PDT by ExCTCitizen (I'm ExCTCitizen and I approve this reply. If it does offend Libs, I'm NOT sorry...)
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To: Still Thinking

There was a bill like that one time before the New Mexico legislature around 2000.Breathalyzer interlocks on all new cars.
Before that in New Jersey on Oldsmobile dealership had a New Years Day promotion will breathalyzers on all new cars. 1980’s when one company I worked for a DWI was considered a “rite of passage” sick.


7 posted on 10/20/2014 6:38:11 PM PDT by Fred Hayek (The Democratic Party is now the operational arm of the CPUSA)
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To: Citizen Zed

So she was in the rear middle seat? Must have been, that’s the only seating position that has lacked a shoulder harness for decades.

Were shoulder harnesses for this seating position legally required for a Toyota 4Runner in that model year? No.

Did the lap belt provided perform in preventing her from being ejected through the windshield in a high speed frontal impact? Apparently it did.

At what speed was the drunken teen driver traveling? Not specified but it must have been well above the legal limit.

And, how did plaintiff come to find herself in such a seating position traveling at a high rate of speed with a drunken teen driving the vehicle? She was impaired herself, is the obvious conclusion.

Lastly, what was the male/female mix of the jury? Heavy on female, I’m certain.

The guilty party is the driver. High speed drunken impacts cause injury and death, that’s why they’re illegal. There is no vehicle configuration that is going to prevent that.


8 posted on 10/20/2014 6:43:49 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: Blood of Tyrants
So how is it Toyota’s fault that the drunken teen crashed the car?

It was a California jury. They'll give money to anyone. I'm sure this will get appealed. I doubt she'll see a dime.

9 posted on 10/20/2014 6:44:22 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: logic101.net

A more appropriate target would have been the Feds for the CAFE standards. Of course in a sane world, which we no longer have, the blame would have been 50% on the drunk teen and 50% on her for getting in the car with a drunk driver.


I absolutely agree! Why did she get in a car driven by a drunk, much less a drunk teenager! I do NOT see that it is Toyota’s fault. Their vehicle’s safety belts met the standards put out by the government.


10 posted on 10/20/2014 6:56:09 PM PDT by leapfrog0202 ("the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery" Sarah Palin)
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To: Drew68
" They'll give transfer money to anyone."
11 posted on 10/20/2014 6:58:38 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: Citizen Zed

why not sue the alcohol company?

due to Toyoto being Big Corp the jury prolly thought it had the magical money tree/


12 posted on 10/20/2014 9:30:34 PM PDT by RginTN
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To: RginTN

toyoto-toyota


13 posted on 10/20/2014 9:31:48 PM PDT by RginTN
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To: Still Thinking

Or they could stop selling cars in that state.


14 posted on 10/20/2014 9:56:08 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: TexasGator

Jackpot justice!


15 posted on 10/20/2014 9:57:28 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: Jack Hydrazine

It was a 1996 4Runner. Unless you want the government to ban older cars from use, you are going to end up with a wide variety of safety features. I had an old Ford that didn’t have any seat belts in the back, and only lap belts in the from. If someone got hurt in that car, is it Ford’s fault?


16 posted on 10/20/2014 10:00:21 PM PDT by Wayne07
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To: Citizen Zed
Party! Party! Party!

Appeal! Appeal! Appeal!

17 posted on 10/20/2014 10:08:03 PM PDT by TChad (The Obamacare motto: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.)
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To: Fred Hayek

There was a bill like that one time before the New Mexico legislature around 2000.

Likely died in session- how would all the govt types get home if their cars would not start.


18 posted on 10/20/2014 10:10:08 PM PDT by Nailbiter
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To: Blood of Tyrants

So how is it Toyota’s fault that the drunken teen crashed the car?
Bigger pocketbook than tean or insurance company.


19 posted on 10/20/2014 10:11:47 PM PDT by Nailbiter
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To: RegulatorCountry
And, how did plaintiff come to find herself in such a seating position traveling at a high rate of speed with a drunken teen driving the vehicle? She was impaired herself, is the obvious conclusion.

Nailed it. Even before I went to the link I knew it had to be lib-centric California.

Up next: Suing small car manufacturers for injuries sustained in crashes with large trucks (or, conversely, suing truck manufacturers for the hazard they pose)...if they survive.

Got 'Smart' car? Have Donor Card. Survivors' Lottery. /s

20 posted on 10/20/2014 11:14:20 PM PDT by logi_cal869
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