Jury Awards Family $242 Million After Finding Toyota Liable for Children’s Injuries in Crash
A Dallas County jury awarded more than $242 million to a family after finding that manufacturer defects in their Lexus ES 300 caused their children to suffer serious and permanent injuries during a rear-end collision in 2016, reports The Dallas Morning News.
The jury found that the front seats of Benjamin and Kristi Reavis’ 2002 Lexus ES 300 were, as the plaintiffs argued, “unreasonably dangerous.” And the company didn’t warn the family about that danger, which amounted to gross negligence, jurors agreed. Their verdict included more than $143.6 million in punitive damages.
The family’s legal team presented evidence they said showed engineering, design and structural issues with the front seat backs of the vehicle, according to reporter Marc Ramirez.
“This is a danger that Toyota has known about,” attorney Frank Branson said in a press release, representing the family. “This company has had plenty of time to design around these safety shortcomings.”