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CASES & INVESTIGATIONS |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Dodge Durango
Transmission Defect and Park to Reverse Problem |
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| In March 2007, Lieff
Cabraser partners Robert J. Nelson and Scott P. Nealey served as lead trial counsel in a five week trial and obtained a $55.2
million verdict for the family of a young father killed due to the park-to-reverse
defect with a 1991 Dodge Dakota pickup truck ($5.2 million in compensatory damages and 50 million in punitive damages). Lieff Cabraser has handled and settled numerous park-to-reverse injury cases in the last five years, yet the Mraz case was the first trial regarding this defect in a number of years. A "park
to reverse" defect is found in vehicles in which it is possible
for drivers to place the vehicle's automatic transmission shift selector into a
position between park and reverse during normal vehicle operations. This
shift position is also referred to as "false park" or "illusory park." |
| False park is a very dangerous defect because it appears to the driver that the vehicle is fully in park--the vehicle idles as it does in neutral and feels and sounds as it would in park--and the driver may exit the vehicle with the engine running (e.g., to load the car, get the mail, etc.) where upon the vehicle can self shift into powered reverse, runing over the driver or a bystander. |
| When a vehicle is in false park, the transmission is neither in park nor in hydraulic reverse, but instead it is in an unstable position between the two gears. Slight movements can cause the vehicle to self-shift into reverse. When the vehicle is running, this will cause the vehicle to move backwards unexpectedly under power. |
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| Lieff
Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP represents persons injured
in vehicle accidents. Click
here to submit your case. |
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Transmission Recall Notices from DaimlerChrysler
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| Park-to-Reverse Case Documents
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Top Park-to-Reverse News Articles and Press Reports
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| Persons who have been
injured in accidents involving faulty Dodge Durango 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. |
| 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. |
| The issue of Park-to-Reverse is one that is described in many different ways both in lawsuits and in how people commonly refer to the issue. Such terms and phrases include: park to reverse, unintentional rearward movement, unintended rearward movement, unintentional reverse, unintended reverse, unintentional acceleration, unintended acceleration, powered reverse, failure to hold in park, slipped gear, inadvertant movement, inadvertant rearward movement, jumped into reverse, kicked into reverse, slipped into reverse, change gear, changed gear, back over, backed over, roll backwards, lurched backwards, roll back, rolled back, rearward runaway, accidental shift, shift alone, shift suddently, shift into reverse, shift out of park, switch gears, went into reverse. |
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There
is no charge or obligation
for our
review of your case. |
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We
have a nationwide
team of experienced auto
defect and car accident
lawyers assigned
to our vehicle injury
cases. |
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We
have retained leading
national car crash
and auto defect experts. |
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We
have on staff a team
of
legal assistants, investigators
and nurses to assist
in the prosecution
of the claims of our
clients. |
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We
provide individual
attentive service.
Learn
more about our firm. |
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| Trademark Notice:
Vehicle Injuries.com is an electronic newsletter from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP, a national personal injury attorney | lawyer law firm. |
| Lieff Cabraser is not
affiliated in any way with any trademark owner. The use of any trademarks on
this site is for product identification and information purposes only. |
| 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... |
| We have offices in San
Francisco, New York and Nashville.
Our car crash accident lawyers and auto accident attorneys have represented
clients in personal injury, auto accident, SUV rollover and vehicle safety defect
lawsuits across America, including persons living in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. |
| Disclaimer: The
hiring of an auto accident lawyer is an important decision. Please read our attorney
advertising disclaimer. |
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| Copyright © 2008 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein,
LLP |
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