I have written before about the booming popularity in blaming auto manufacturers for car accidents in my article on “The Best Way to Prevent 35,000 Deaths,” so news of a convicted man using it in a plea for a new trial did not surprise me. As a Seattle car accident attorney and Washington wrongful death lawyer, I am a firm believer that for the most part, blaming a car crash on the car itself is a cheap cop out. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am sure that there are some cases where a flaw in the car did help cause an accident, but in general, people have been using the media’s infatuation with Toyota acceleration problems as an excuse.

You may have heard about the crash in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a man by the name of Koua Fong Lee accelerated into another car between 70 and 90 mph, resulting in the death of two people. Lee was convicted of vehicular homicide and was sentenced to eight years of jail time. His original lawyer believed that his client just accidentally hit the accelerator rather than the brakes, but new attorneys are claiming that the fault lies in the 1996 Camry that Lee was driving. The new lawyers have attained 10 affidavits from other people with the same vehicle who say that there were acceleration problems with the car. The prosecution in the case is opposing a new trial, and they continue to stand by their stance that the acceleration was caused by Lee stepping on the accelerator.

We will see if this new plea holds up in trial and in the Jury finds fault to remain in the hands of the driver or if it lies with the manufacturer.
This information is provided by Premier Law Group. Premier Law Group is a group of King County Personal Injury attorneys who work with Seattle auto accidents, Bellevue Motorcycle Accidents Washington serious injuries, Bellevue sexual harassment cases, and Tacoma employee rights cases among other practice areas. Contact our Seattle law office at 1-888-333-1873 to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. Or, visit Straight Talk Law where you can order free books on Seattle auto accidents, buying Washington auto insurance, and other valuable legal information.

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