A Minnesota jury has ordered Toyota to pay $11.4 million in damages related to a fatal accident that plaintiffs blamed on the unintended-acceleration defect.
Koau Fong Lee was initially sentenced to eight years in prison for criminally negligent homicide after his 1996 Camry struck an Oldsmobile and killed two occupants. A third victim, a six-year-old relative of the Oldsmobile driver, was left quadriplegic and died less than two years later.
Koau Fong Lee was initially sentenced to eight years in prison for criminally negligent homicide after his 1996 Camry struck an Oldsmobile and killed two occupants. A third victim, a six-year-old relative of the Oldsmobile driver, was left quadriplegic and died less than two years later.
Most of the vehicles affected by the unintended-acceleration recalls were from newer model years, however the Camry driven by Lee may have been subject to an early recall, dated to 1996, related to a defective cruise-control system that could accelerate above the intended speed.
Toyota has denied responsibility, arguing that “the evidence clearly demonstrated that Mr. Lee’s 1996 Camry was not the cause of this unfortunate accident,” according to a statement provided to CNN.
Lee will receive $1.25 million from the ruling, while the rest of the money will go to individuals injured in the Oldsmobile and to families of the deceased.
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