Personal Injury Law

Massachusetts Auto Products Liability Lawsuit Seeks Damages from Mitsubishi Over Deadly SUV Rollover in Revere

By Altman & Altman

The parents of Jason Alan Foster are suing Mitsubishi for his Revere, Massachusetts wrongful death. Foster, then a 17-year-old Ipswich teen, was fatally injured in a SUV rollover crash on Route 1 on August 6, 2009.

Foster and another person were riding in the rear seat of a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero when the driver, an inexperienced teen, lost control of the SUV, which rolled over on a curve. Foster and 16-year-old girl were both thrown from the vehicle. She also died from her injuries.

In their Revere auto products liability complaint, Michelle and Charles foster claim that the SUV rollover occurred because the Montero had an ?unreasonably dangerous? design. Their Boston wrongful death lawyer says that this particular Mitsubishi vehicle is ?notorious? for its involvement in rollover accidents. The Fosters are alleging that the vehicle displayed poor maneuverability, had a high gravity center, was prone to oversteering, and had been designed in a way that did not protect occupants during rollovers. They also contend that Mitsubishi did not ?properly warn? about the vehicle?s flaws, defects, or flawed design even though a number of plaintiffs had already filed civil complaints about these problems.

Included in those products liability lawsuits were allegations that the SUV is top-heavy, which increased the chances it would roll over and questions over why Mitsubishi didn't use electronic stability on all models. The SUV has also been plagued by allegations that its seat belts may have been faulty and its pillar and roofs were vulnerable to collapse.

Foster?s parents want Massachusetts products liability recovery for emotional distress, negligence, wrongful death, and violation of the state's consumer protection laws. The couple is willing to settle the Revere SUV rollover lawsuit for $7 million. Meantime, Mitsubishi is saying that the Fosters' allegations are ?ill-founded.?

SUV Rollovers
SUV rollovers cause more than 10,000 deaths each year. Many safety advocates believe that the way most SUVs are designed place them at greater risk of rolling over. The injuries that can be sustained during a rollover crash are often fatal. It is important that you work with an experienced Boston injury lawyer that knows how to prove that the auto manufacturer was negligent.

Parents file lawsuit over teen's death, Salem News, March 29, 2011

Jason A. Foster, 17, Gloucester Times, August 8, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Rollover: The Hidden History, PBS

Safercar.gov

More Blog Posts:
Braintree Rollover Leaves 94-Year-Old Woman Injured, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, November 26, 2010

Man Injured in Mass. Pike Rollover, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, December 14, 2010

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on March 29, 2011 (boomark / email).