South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
The Florida Legislature recently started the process of passing two bills that could put part of the blame on the victim in cases where accidents involve a defective vehicle, Automotive Discovery. Currently, Florida law deems the manufacturer to be completely responsible for serious or fatal injuries that result from a Palm Beach car accident caused by a defective product.
Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers urge you to stand against these bills as manufacturers need to take full responsibility when a defective automobile results in serious or fatal injury to a consumer.
“What they decided was the jury would not be able to hear all the evidence in these types of cases. And that’s wrong. That’s absolutely wrong,” said Sen. John Thrasher.
The bills come after the Florida Supreme Court sided with Ford Motor Co. and other automobile manufacturers when a trial neglected to allow jurors to consider the cause of an accident, according to The Palm Beach Post. This is was D’Amario vs. Ford Motor Co. case.
“We Floridians buy these vehicles and we are led to believe that they will be safe, and safe from inherent defects that will cause secondary issues that can cause even more damage, injuries to people,” said Sen. Maria Sachs, R-Delray Beach. “Those manufacturers should be held accountable whether it’s a tractor, a motor vehicle.”
The bill “changes Florida law to permit juries in a Florida courtroom to hear all of the facts leading up to a products liability case, thereby allowing that jury to apportion fault,” said Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, sponsor of SB 142. “It’s an opportunity to put all the facts on the table.”
We urge you to contact your Florida House of Representative to express your opposition to these bills. Because of these new bills, it is now more important than ever to contact an experienced attorney if you’ve been involved in a car accident you believe may be the result of a defective product.
If you or a loved one has been in an accident involving defective parts in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or the surrounding areas, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-529-2368.