seatbelts « Lawyers USA Online

Plaintiff can’t sue designer of product

Published: October 26, 2011

Tags: defective design, negligence, product liability, seatbelts

The designer of a product does not meet the definition of a “manufacturer” under state law, and therefore a plaintiff may not sue a designer who did not manufacture or sell a product for a design defect, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled.

Bus passengers’ seatbelt claims not preempted

Published: October 25, 2011

Tags: National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, preemption, seatbelts

Federal transportation law does not preempt seatbelt claims brought by passengers injured in a bus accident, New York’s highest court has ruled.

Implied preemption made harder for product defendants

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: March 3, 2011

Tags: Geier v. American Honda Motor Co., preemption, product liability, seatbelts, Supreme Court, Williamson v. Mazda

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Williamson v. Mazda will make it harder for defendants to prove implied preemption in product liability cases, and nearly impossible in auto safety cases.

Federal law doesn’t preempt seatbelt claims

By: Pat Murphy
Published: December 21, 2010

Tags: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, preemption, product liability, seatbelts

Federal motor vehicle safety standards do not preempt a product liability claim alleging that a bus involved in a fatal crash should have been equipped with passenger seatbelts, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled.

Jury awards $124.5 million in passenger van crash

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: December 17, 2010

Tags: Los Paisanos, negligence, seatbelts, wrongful death

A Texas jury has found a bus company and its driver liable for $124 million, all in actual damages, to seven passengers injured or killed while riding in a van in a state where it was not licensed to operate.

Court hears oral arguments in seatbelt suit preemption

By: Kimberly Atkins
Published: November 3, 2010

Tags: federal regulations, preemption, products liability, safety standards, seatbelts

WASHINGTON – At oral arguments on Wednesday, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court were trying to figure out whether federal seatbelt regulations leave room for state law based tort claims.

Jury awards $19 million in seatbelt case

By: Kimberly Atkins
Published: October 28, 2010

Tags: Ford Motor Co., product defect, seatbelts

A man who claimed that a defective seatbelt design caused him to be ejected from a vehicle in a car crash and become paralyzed has won a $19 million verdict from an Arkansas jury.