Group Home Sued After Recovery Van Flips Killing 7
A group home is facing several lawsuits after a van under their control flipped over on the I-85 killing 7 women in recovery. The van was transporting 15 women to a meeting when the accident occurred. Lawsuits have been filed by the families of the deceased and the survivors. The group home goes by the name We are Living Proof adding a melancholy irony to the sad affair.
The driver is believed to have made a reckless lane change when exiting the I-85 causing the van to turn over and burst into flames. The driver has been charged with seven counts of vehicular homicide. Lawsuits have been filed against the group home and allegations against Dodge over the construction of the van form a second element to the suit. Pepboys has also been named in the lawsuit meaning that there may be a tire issue involved as well.
Allegations against the driver
The driver is facing 7 counts of vehicular homicide, but if the allegations against the tire company and Chrysler (which manufactured the van) prove true, then those allegations could go away entirely. The police believe that the driver made an unsafe lane change. However, if there was a tire blowout, then there is no way that the driver could have safely merged onto the exit. So, the allegations against the driver are up in the air and it remains entirely unclear that those allegations have merit given the defendants named in the lawsuit.
Allegations against Chrysler
The plaintiffs have filed a products liability suit against Chrysler claiming that the manufacture of the transit van made it unreasonably prone to rollover accidents. The plaintiffs could provide engineering evidence from expert witnesses or show proof that these vans were involved in deadly rollover accidents before. If that’s the case, the lawsuit against Chrysler will move from the bottom of the list straight to the top. Such transit vans are among the most unstable vehicles on the road and the NHTSA has issued warnings concerning them before. Chrysler is further faulted for the design of the fuel system which caused the van to explode into flames after it turned over.
Allegations against Pepboys
The article doesn’t list any specific allegations against Pepboys, but we know that a tire servicer was named in the lawsuit. That means that there may be some proof of a blowout that occurred. If true, then Pepboys could face liability for the accident.
Nonetheless, the bulk of the allegations appear aimed at Chrysler for the defective design of the transit van, then the group home for using a dangerous vehicle to transport those in recovery, and lastly the group home again for employing a driver who committed a moving violation.
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Resource:
ajc.com/news/lawsuits-filed-in-addiction-recovery-van-crash-that-killed-7-in-gwinnett/UHFCHASUUFH4FFTP6K6IBWPIP4/
