$14 Million Awarded to Virginia Family in Car Accident Lawsuit

In February 2010, a Virginia resident suffered a serious traumatic brain injury during a car accident in which his vehicle's side air bags failed to deploy. He was in a coma for nearly a week, and now requires the care of a long-term facility. A jury in the Pulaski Circuit Court recently awarded the family $14 million in damages after being convinced that the air bag sensors in the 2003 - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon models were defective.

The case has been a difficult one since its filing. Originally, jurors couldn't come to an agreement, leading to a mistrial in September 2012. The retrial began in June 2013, and the jury proceeded to hear testimony for nearly two weeks. The victim's attorney argued that if the air bag had deployed as expected, it would have prevented the man's debilitating brain injury. The attorney asserted that Hyundai should take responsibility for placing defective safety components into their vehicles. In 2008, the Tiburon model was discontinued.

Crash-test videos, testimony from engineering experts, and over 1,000 exhibits were presented as additional evidence during the trial. After 10 hours of deliberation, the jury determined that Hyundai had made an "unreasonably dangerous" vehicle. Since the crash victim must now live in a supervised long-term care facility, additional funds were awarded on top of the initial $140,000 for medical expenses.

If you or one of your loved ones has suffered a serious injury because of a defective vehicle, make sure you fight for the justice and compensation you deserve. Please contact Kalfus & Nachman today or call (800) 361-0430 to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced Roanoke injury lawyers.