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Dodge Caravan Transmission Shift Interlock Problem

A toddler was killed on June 6, 2006 in front of his suburban Atlanta home when a 1997 Dodge Caravan minivan, with its engine off, rolled over him. As reported in local papers, another child was playing alone inside the minivan, shifted it out of "park," and it rolled backward over the toddler.
This was not the first such incident. Lawsuits for deaths and injuries have been filed involving pre-2001 Chrysler-made vehicles for lacking a necessary safety device. As alleged, Chrysler waited until 2001 to do what other car makers had already done -- install a "brake shift interlock" in its vehicles that requires drivers to press the brake pedal down, after turning the key in the ignition, in order to shift out of "park." Millions of the pre-2001 Chrysler vehicles are on the road nationwide.
In March, 2006, Lori Hamby, a parent of a 2-year-old, obtained a $3.4 million jury verdict in a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Atlanta against Daimler-Chrysler. Ms. Hamby ‘s daughter was inside the family’s 1991 Dodge Caravan in July 2002. It was parked in the driveway with the engine off with the child inside. An adult was washing the vehicle and turned away for a moment when the child shifted the vehicle out of "park." The child was killed after falling out of the minivan as it rolled down the driveway.
Chrysler maintains that its pre-2001 vehicles will not shift out of park unless the key is in the ignition.  In complaints filed on behalf of our clients,  Lieff Cabraser lawyers have alleged that that safeguard does not always work.
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Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP represents persons injured in vehicle accidents. Click here to submit your case.
Legal Rights of the Injured
Legal Rights of the Injured
The law in most states provides individuals with legal claims and the right to compensation for injuries they suffer as a result of a defective product or the negligence of another. The injured person may file a lawsuit seeking compensation for his or her pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost past and future wages and punitive damages.
Transmission Defect Attorneys | Lawyers
Persons who have been injured in accidents involving faulty transmissions, or family members of loved ones who have died, should click here to contact a lawyer at the national law firm of Lieff Cabraser.
Our Firm
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is a national law firm of over 50 lawyers with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. Our attorneys are recognized for the successful prosecution of lawsuits involving deaths, personal injuries and property damage due to defective products, including in the field of vehicle safety.
In 2007, in the case of Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler, Lieff Cabraser attorneys, with local co-counsel, obtained the fourth largest verdict in California for the year. At trial, plaintiffs showed that a defective transmission was responsible for making a Dodge Dakota pickup shift into reverse and run over Richard Mraz.
Currently, we are prosecuting personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits involving cars, vans, pickup trucks, SUVs, the Yamaha Rhino and other vehicles. To learn more about the firm, click here.
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     About Lieff Cabraser: Drivers and passengers injured in auto crashes and pickup truck and SUV rollover accidents, or families of loved ones who died, may be eligible to file lawsuits against other drivers at fault or against the manufacturer of their vehicle if the accident was due to a safety defect. Safety defects can include a high risk of rolling over, tire tread separation, seat belt failures and other defects. Learn more...
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