A federal judge upheld an earlier products liability settlement verdict of $1.85 million to a woman who sued the Nissan Corporation after she was severely injured in a car accident caused by a design defect.

Rebecca Perdue, 63, filed a lawsuit against Nissan claiming her 1995 Nissan Pathfinder failed to protect her from injury during a November 2006 automobile accident in Texas, where she broke several bones in her right leg.

Our firm’s auto accident attorneys in San Diego know that not all car companies take the necessary precautions to make sure drivers and passengers are safe in their vehicles.  Sometimes, when auto makers miss design defects, it can lead to injury or wrongful death in an product liability accident on the road.

Design flaws can cause injuries in car accidents like whiplash or spinal cord injuries (paralysis).  For that reason, companies need to make sure the products they put on the road are as safe as they can be.  An automobile accident can dramatically change a person’s life, so prevention becomes a top priority for car companies.

Mrs. Perdue was driving when she was hit by another car in an accident.  Mrs. Perdue was wearing a seat belt but claims her car was “not reasonably crashworthy and was not reasonably fit for unintended, but clearly foreseeable, accidents.”

The car accident caused the left front tire to drive back through the firewall and destroy “the footwell, floorpan and toeboard survival space.”  Mrs. Perdue broke several bones including her right tibia, fibula and both ankles.  Hopefully these serious leg injuries do not lead to physical disability.

Mrs. Perdue claims that the design of the 1987-1995 Pathfinder was defective for not being able to protect the lower legs, and Nissan failed to do any crash testing or analysis to evaluate possible risks or hazards.

When you buy a car, you should do so believing companies have done all they can to protect you from injury in a car accident.  If a car maker such as Nissan fails to do so, that company could be held responsible for helping to pay your medical bills or getting you assistance for your emotional trauma.

A good personal injury attorney with a knowledge of product liability law will work to help you get these things.

Please contact us for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer — we speak both English and Spanish — at (800) 655-6585.  Click here and you may also submit your case for a Free Review.  No fee if no recovery.

About Michael Pines

Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.