The experienced attorneys at Plaxen & Adler, P.A. will ensure that your rights are protected by exploring all case aspects, involved parties and potential theories of liability.

DETROIT (Reuters) – The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety said on Tuesday that four of 12 small SUVs it tested received its top rating for their ability to withstand roof damage in rollover accidents that often prove deadly.

It was the first time that the safety watchdog group, which is funded by the insurance industry, has released vehicle ratings based on a new roof strength rating system.

Four small SUVs received the top rating of “good” from the institute — the Volkswagen Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Honda Element and Jeep Patriot.

Two small SUVs received “poor” ratings: the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.

Click Here to Read the Full Article of “Four SUVs earn top rollover safety mark in U.S. test”

Injuries and accidents also commonly arise from defective design and production of automobiles and automobile parts. Defective seatbelts, mechanical systems, and tires can all lead to serious bodily injury…

At Crockett & Myers, we have unparalleled experience in handling automobile injury cases. For three decades, we have been successfully achieving multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for our clients. Do not fall for over-promising and under-performing claims by attorneys promising fast cash, no hassles and discounted attorneys fees. A serious case involving serious injuries requires serious effort.

Yvonne Moran said she was certain her husband, Bart, was wearing his seat belt right before he was hurled out of his minivan’s rear passenger window and killed.

“I never knew of a single moment, a single opportunity when he was not belted in a vehicle,” she said. “Bart had a habit of wearing his seat belt. His was to the point of obsession.”

Three other people who knew Bart Moran would later testify that he always wore his seat belt. One who carpooled with him to work even referred to him as “Mr. Seat Belt.”

So why did police, the hospital, and the carmaker think he wasn’t wearing a seat belt? And if he was wearing his seat belt, why didn’t it prevent him from being thrown out of the vehicle?

A Primetime investigation looks at the kind of seat belt found in Bart’s 1997 Dodge minivan — and millions of vehicles throughout the country — and speaks with some safety experts who say this seat belt belt is potentially dangerous because it can open more easily than other belts…

Yvonne sued Chrysler. Assuming Bart was wearing his seat belt, Edwards said he was thrown out of the car because of a design defect in the Gen-3 seat belts that are used in his Chrysler van — and in about half of all the Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge vehicles sold since 1993.

The company argued that Bart was not wearing his seat belt and that the Gen-3 belts are safe. If Bart had been wearing his seat belt, Chrysler said, there would have been more bruises on his body and some stress marks on the belt. As for how the polish marks landed deep inside the coils of the belt, the company said perhaps it was contaminated at the crash scene…

Chrysler already has newer model seat belts – which do pass the balltest. But the company has no plans to recall the Gen-3 and replace them with the newer models.

“I would like to see every vehicle ever manufactured with the Gen-3 buckle recalled,” said Yvonne, who was awarded $6.7 million. Chrysler is appealing the verdict.

Class-action lawsuits have been filed in several states, calling for theremoval of Gen-3 seat belts.

Auto manufacturers use computer models and experiments to predict crash failures but, often, crashworthiness is determined retrospectively by analyzing crash outcomes. In the event of an accident, the crashworthiness lawyers at Davis, Bethune and Jones assess post-collision evidence such as deformation patterns in the vehicle structure, injury predicted by human body models, recent auto recalls and defect notices to determine the liability and compensation deserved in the case.