DALLAS – (WBAP/KLIF) A Dallas County state court jury slaps Toyota with more than a $242 million dollar fine in favor of a Dallas area family, finding manufacturer defects in the front seats of their Lexus ES 300 caused their 5 and 3 year old children to suffer serious and permanent injuries during a rear end collision in 2016. Punitive damages tallied more than $143.6 million.
Attorney for Benjamin and Kristi Reavis argued Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Sales did not warn the family about the dangers, choosing instead to protect front-seat occupants in accidents at the expense of rear-seat passengers; what was argued as amounting to gross negligence. The jury agreed.
The kids were in safety seats as the couple drove southbound on Central Expressway, and were rear ended. The impact caused the front seats of the Lexus to collapse backward into the kid’s seats, and they sustained skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries. The driver of the impact vehicle, Michael Mummaw,
is held liable for 5 percent of the damages. The company says it’s considering options moving forward.
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