Evaluation of Your Personal Injury

There is nothing perfect about the way cars are manufactured. In San Antonio, every now and then we see the news running a story about the recall of a car's certain make and model. Whether it’s due to faulty airbags or floor mats causing unwanted acceleration, drivers over the past two to three decades have dealt with the fear of becoming injured or deceased due to car manufacturers mistakes. These mistakes can cause property damages, injuries, and sometimes death.

This is why if you are involved in an accident that was caused by a mechanical failure in your vehicle, you need an attorney. In the event that you are involved in an accident of this kind, it is most likely that you’ll be labeled as the person at fault.

An attorney will fight to prove the accident was not your fault, but rather the fault of the car company who manufactured the vehicle. One notable recall that has happened within the last decade is the 2007 Toyota recall. That being said, if you live in San Antonio and are in such an accident with this make of vehicle, contact a San Antonio Toyota recall attorney today.

Unfortunately, Mr. Guadalupe Gomez was unable to talk to an experienced attorney like ours at Carabin Shaw’s San Antonio location. His story exemplifies how these recalled cars can cause a fatal crash that changes the lives of innocent people.

Mr. Guadalupe Gomez was driving his 2007 Toyota Camry south on Interstate 280 in California when his car began accelerating out of control. Racing down the busy highway at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, Gomez did all he could to avoid a catastrophic collision. He held down on his horn, pushed the ignition button repeatedly, kicked the accelerator, and switched gears. While dodging traffic, Mr. Gomez frantically tried to find a way to stop his vehicle.

Unfortunately, Gomez’s car didn’t stop until it collided with Troy Edwin Johnson’s Honda Accord. Johnson, a 39-year-old father of 5, burned to death when his car went up in flames. The fatal crash was so violent and so outwardly reckless that authorities, in turn, chased after Gomez with accusations of vehicular manslaughter and gross negligence. Prosecutors ultimately believed they couldn’t persuade a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Gomez was responsible for the accident and dropped the charges. But Gomez couldn’t escape a lawsuit naming him and Toyota as defendants filed by Johnson’s family. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount of damages.

For over two years, Gomez has had to live with the trauma of the crash and the stigma of causing it. Losing all hope, he sunk into seclusion. Then, on September 29, Toyota issued a safety advisory and recall notice, warning owners of several models of Toyota and Lexus cars that a floor mat defect could interfere with the acceleration pedal and cause the cars to speed uncontrollably. Investigators found evidence that the floor mat in Gomez’s Camry could have interfered with the accelerator, but in 2007, the unintended acceleration problem was a relatively obscure one to everyone but Toyota.

Today, the recall has cast a completely different light on the fatal crash, and even the attorneys who represented Johnson’s family in court have expressed their sympathy for Gomez.

“This poor man [Gomez] was just driving his car and this happened,” Mohinder Mann, the attorney representing Johnson’s family, told the Mercury News. “He was being very honest and he told everybody what happened, but [California Highway Patrol] wanted to blame him.”

Gary Mann, another attorney who represented the Johnson family, said that Gomez was “very remorseful” about the accident. “Toyota was attempting to put some blame on him, but he did everything he could to stop the car and prevent it from crashing,” Mann told the Mercury News.

Gomez, now 70, told the Mercury News that he wanted to keep the incident in the past. “It’s a closed chapter in my life and I would prefer not to go into it”.

The story of Mr. Gomez is an unfortunate and sad one. These accidents don’t always have to end this way though. At Carabin Shaw’s San Antonio location, our experienced team of lawyers investigates the cause of an accident exhaustively and attentively. If your accident was caused by a mechanical failure in your vehicle, we will prove to the court that the manufacturers of said vehicle are at fault.

If you live in San Antonio and are involved in an accident like this, please contact Carabin Shaw. We operate day and night and offer a free consultation with an attorney. Call our courteous and bilingual representatives at 210-222-2288, or toll-free at 800-862-1260.