NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California auto defects attorneys of BISNAR CHASE (http://www.BestAttorney.com) today announced that in their auto products liability trial against Johnson Controls, a $24.7 million judgment has been awarded to plaintiff Jaklin Romine. Jaklin was rendered a permanent quadriplegic when the driver's seat of her car – a seat Johnson Controls was legally responsible for designing, manufacturing and selling – collapsed after her vehicle was rear-ended in a traffic collision in October 2006, causing her to sustain severe head and spinal cord injuries.
The trial and subsequent ruling stems from an incident on October 21, 2006 when Jaklin was stopped at an intersection in Pasadena, California and her car was involved in a rear-end collision at surface street speeds. Upon impact, Jaklin's seat broke and collapsed backwards, allowing her body to submarine rearward underneath her seatbelt and shoulder restraint. Her head struck the back of the rear passenger seat, causing her to sustain severe injuries that permanently paralyzed her.
Brian Chase, lead auto defects attorney at BISNAR CHASE, presented evidence to the jury that Jaklin's seat was too weak to withstand impacts at speeds as low as 30 miles per hour, subjecting front occupants to serious risks such as head injuries, spinal cord injuries and vehicle ejection. Chase also presented evidence that Johnson Controls was legally responsible for the design, manufacture and sale of the defective seat and therefore liable for damages because of its defects.
BISNAR CHASE attorneys claimed that since the early to mid-90s, Johnson Controls was well aware of the dangers and risks of weak seats. Because of this knowledge, the company had actually developed a design that was more structurally sound to prevent seats from collapsing in accidents such as this.
"This is a classic example of big business putting profits over people," said Chase. "While we're pleased with the ruling, nothing will ever replace Jaklin's loss. She'll never walk again. She will forever be confined to a wheelchair. This is a tragedy that could easily have been avoided."
Jurors awarded Jaklin damages for serious and permanent personal injury, medical expenses and loss of past and future earnings and earning capacity.
About BISNAR CHASE
The California Personal Injury Attorneys of BISNAR CHASE (BestAttorney.com) represent people who have been very seriously injured or lost a family member due to a defective product, an accident or negligence throughout the nation from their Newport Beach, CA offices. The BISNAR CHASE auto defects law firm has won a wide variety of auto defect cases against most of the major auto manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Chrysler. Brian Chase, the firm’s lead trial attorney, is the author of the most up-to-date and comprehensive auto defect book available today, “Still Unsafe at Any Speed: Auto Defects that Cause Wrongful Deaths and Catastrophic Injuries.” For more information, visit Mr. Chase's blog at http://www.ProductDefectNews.com.