"If she had a three-point seat belt, she would have survived like the other family members."
- Attorney David Lira
In November, Girardi | Keese attorneys David Lira and Tom Girardi were honored by the Consumer Attorneys of California as Attorneys of the Year for their successful legal battle with Mazda over dangerous seat belts.
In the video above, David Lira discusses the case (Williamson v. Mazda Motor Corp.), which he originally filed in Orange County in June 2004. Over the course of roughly 14 years, there were a staggering 500 court filings, as the case made its way through the trial and appellate courts.
The case ultimately went to the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled unanimously in our favor. "In March of 2017," Mr. Lira said, "after 14 years of litigation, the case resolved to the satisfaction of the Williamson family."
What went wrong with the Mazda seat belt?
As Mr. Lira explains, the Williamson family was traveling from California to Utah when they suffered a head-on collision. They were driving a 1993 Mazda minivan with seven seats, five of which had three-point seat belts, with the remaining two equipped only with two-point belts (belts that stretch across the waist, the lap-only belt, without the shoulder harness).
Ms. Williamson was in a seat with the lap-only belt.
In the head-on collision, Ms. Williamson's torso folded over on itself, restrained by the lap-only belt, which caused severe internal bleeding. Ms. Williamson died from her injuries.
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