Charleston, Ill. (PRWEB) April 23, 2014 -- Illinois and Missouri auto accident attorneys at The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm will continue their investigation into personal injury and wrongful death claims related to General Motor’s February recall as new allegations surface from Center for Auto Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The organizations are now questioning General Motors’ decision to reject a safer version of an ignition switch, which was designed in 2001, but disregarded in favor of the cheaper original component. (1)
A Bloomberg report published April 16 examined a letter to GM CEO Mary Barra from the former head of the NHTSA Joan Claybrook and the Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety Clarence Ditlow. According to the report, Claybrook and Ditlow argue that the automaker chose to utilize the cheaper part for use in its 2003 Chevrolet Cobalts rather than a component that had what the agencies deemed to be a more effective design, and that this decision may have led to the 13 deaths associated with the faulty ignition switch.
An additional Reuters report on the same date noted that General Motors has filed motions in various recall lawsuits requesting that litigation be delayed until a federal bankruptcy judge can decide whether or not the lawsuits violate bankruptcy laws.
"Usually, a company that has emerged from bankruptcy, like General Motors, has no liability for injuries or accidents that occurred prior to the bankruptcy case,” said William R. Tapella, partner at The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm. “However, GM has been accused of fraudulently concealing knowledge about defects in its ignition switches. If fraud can be proved, it may be a basis for people injured by the switches to sue GM, even if their injuries occurred prior to the 2009 bankruptcy case."
The Tapella & Eberspacher Law firm is now extending free legal consultations to any person who was injured in one of GM’s recalled vehicles.
The firm has maintained a timeline of important events throughout the recall to keep consumers abreast of developments in the case. This timeline also highlights important developments in the federal investigation of GM, as well as the progress of important aspects of the case, such as GM’s ongoing internal investigation and proposed victims’ compensation strategy, both of which were noted in an April 2 article published by USA Today.(2)
For a detailed summary of the GM recall, consumers can visit Tapella & Eberspacher’ timeline of events here.
Persons who wish to report an injury or wrongful death associated with a defective GM vehicle can contact the firm through its website or by calling 1 (855) 522-5291.
About The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm
The attorneys at Tapella & Eberspacher are committed to helping all those who have been injured by the actions or negligence of another person or entity. The Charleston, Illinois-based personal injury law firm handles all types of personal injury claims including auto accident injuries, dangerous drug litigation, medical malpractice, product liability claims, premises liability and maritime law. For a free and confidential case evaluation, contact The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm by visiting foryourjustice.com or by calling 1 (855) 522-5291 today.
The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm
6009 Park Drive,
Charleston, IL 61920
(855) 522-5291
(1) “GM Vetoed Better Ignition Part to Save Money, Advocates Say”, April 16, 2014, http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-04-16/gm-said-to-reject-better-ignition-part-in-2001-to-save-money
(2) “Senator: GM Engineer Lied over Deadly Ignition Switch,” April 2, 2014, http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/04/02/barra-gm-recall-senate/7195135/
The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm, The Tapella & Eberspacher Law Firm, http://www.foryourjustice.com/, +1 (561) 253-6709, [email protected]
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