TOYOTA SETTLES FAULTY SEAT CASE THAT RENDERED WOMAN QUADRIPLEGIC

 

Willie Mae Charles, Phito Charles and Latasha Charles v. Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
U.S. District Court, Southern District, Florida

 

Willie Mae Charles was employed as an attendant for elderly clients who needed help with the activities of daily living.  One her way to work one day she was driving a 1987 Toyota Corolla when she was struck from behind by another vehicle. On impact Mrs. Charless’ seat collapsed backward and Mrs. Charles struck her head on the back of the backseat. She was instantly rendered a quadriplegic. We were hired to see if we could help her and we immediately went to work to find out why her seat failed in this accident.

 

After extensive investigation we discovered two things:  (1) the seat was poorly designed, and (2) Toyota knew that the seat would fail in rear impact collisions. Shortly after we filed suit, Toyota voluntarily settled the case for an amount that they insisted remain confidential.