It seems that other vehicles famous for safety may have sticky pedal problems, not unlike multiple Toyota brands. This personal injury accident case from Georgia recounts the story of 27 people being injured after being ploughed down by a Volvo.
It was an ordinary day at the car auction, or at least that was the way it started out. The auction mart was filled with people milling about and looking at various vehicles. A Volvo 960 was being taken inside to be auctioned off when all of a sudden it started to rapidly accelerate and hit 27 people. The police that responded to the call felt the accident was just that, an accident; the driver had not intentionally set out to harm anyone.
On the surface this accident could have a variety of causes, from mechanical failure to driver error, who knows if litigation will ensue. Some of those struck by the vehicle as it rampaged through the auction mart were air lifted to the nearest medical facility, some were treated by paramedics and one was listed in critical condition. Further investigation into this incident is expected to determine why the car suddenly seemed to go out of control.
Litigation is the safety tool that will get to the bottom of this; Toyota only recently came to its senses after the giant automaker started to receive notices of lawsuits. Any potential litigation is likely to be long and contentious centering on several issues such as driver negligence and whether, like Toyota, the Volvo had a defective gas pedal(product liability). In the meantime, those injured will have to find a way to pay their medical bills, pay for any possible rehabilitative therapy while attempting to handle their daily bills. This will be difficult if they are not able to work for a period of time. Lawsuit Financial, the pro-justice lawsuit funding company will watch this situation closely; if litigation does emerge from this bizarre incident, lawsuit funding, to bridge the gap between commencement and resolution, may be possible. If serious liability questions emerge, it may be very difficult to locate interested investors. Let’s wait and see.
@thumbnail.jpg "Mark M. Bello")
Experienced attorney, lawsuit funding expert, certified civil mediator, and award-winning author of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series. The series features super-trial lawyer Zachary Blake handling "ripped from the headlines" legal and political issues of the day. The series currently consists of Betrayal of Faith, Betrayal of Justice, Betrayal in Blue, Betrayal in Black, and Betrayal High, with a sixth Zachary Blake novel due out later this year. To learn more about these topical social justice legal thrillers. please visit markmbello.com. Mark is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, a sustaining member of the Michigan Association for Justice, and a member of the American Association for Justice.
2 Comments
Joel
FWIW the Volvo in question (960) does not, to my knowledge, have an electronic throttle control. IE: The connection between the pedal and the engine is completely mechanical. If the pedal did stick, it was a problem with the throttle cable, likely moisture accumulated while sitting for long periods at an auction center. Also, the last 960 was sold in 1998, so we're talking about a car that is 12+ years old. It seems hard to blame Volvo for this. This is hardly the first car that has had a throttle cable stick. I personally have had this happen in a mid-90s Audi.
Jim
I drive one of these exact cars. I can confirm it has a mechanical throttle. This unintended acceleration problem can be blamed on age...
Probably oxidation of a throttle component, or something along those lines.
The 960, as with nearly every Volvo, has an excellent safety record.
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