A federal court jury awarded a Carroll County, Ga., woman and her husband $8 million in a case of sudden unintended acceleration that left Plaintiff Cheryl Bullock severely and permanently injured after a September 2011 crash.
Ms. Bullock was traveling with her 5-year-old daughter when her 2004 Volkswagen Passat GLS TDI suddenly accelerated out of her control, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway and overturn. The lawsuit alleged Volkswagen Group of America and Honeywell International were aware of a defect in the vehicle’s turbo charger that could lead to sudden acceleration problems. Ms. Bullock and her husband, Kevin Bullock, were represented by Beasley Allen attorneys Kendall C. Dunson and D. Michael Andrews.
“The lives of the Bullocks were changed forever as a result of a decision by the defendants to ignore a dangerous product defect,” Andrews said. “No amount of money can give a person back their health and well-being, but we hope this judgement will help convince auto manufacturers to do the right thing in order to prevent such catastrophic crashes in the future.”
The jury agreed with the Plaintiffs’ case alleging the Passat and its turbo charger were subject to a defect that allowed the introduction of combustible accelerants to the Passat engine, resulting in uncontrolled acceleration. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division. Case no. 4:13-cv-00037-CDL.
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Reuters Legal – Georgia comparative-fault law requires reduction of $8 mln verdict – judge
WSB-TV Atlanta – Bullock family wants investigation of Passat sudden unintended acceleration
