Decision shows importance of complete honesty in personal injury cases
There have been so many vehicle recalls in the past few years, it is hard to keep them all straight. The fact that it can take years for a personal injury claim related to a defect in a recalled vehicle to make it to court certainly does not help matters.
You may recall that in early 2014 GM recalled about 1.18 million vehicles due to switch defects that resulted in airbags failing to deploy. Before the recall was made, however, some people were seriously injured in car accidents when their airbags failed to protect them.
Naturally, many of these individuals have chosen to pursue personal injury accident claims against GM. The first of these lawsuits was recently dismissed, but this does not mean that other victims should give up hope of compensation.
Lawsuit Dismissed Due to Plaintiff’s Errors
The first GM airbag injury case to be heard before a judge involved Robert Scheuer, a postal worker who said he suffered neck, back, and head injuries when his vehicle’s airbag failed to deploy. In addition to the medical costs associated with these injuries, Scheuer and his wife testified that the incident also caused great personal hardship. They said that the accident caused Scheuer to suffer memory problems, which ultimately led to them losing their dream home.
All of this testimony may very well be completely true. However, the defense presented evidence showing that Scheuer had doctored a check stub. This fraudulent act called all his other statements and evidence into question, and the ultimate result was that the judge decided to dismiss the lawsuit.
Other GM Airbag Injury Cases Unaffected
This first GM airbag injury case was considered a “bellweather case” that was expected to help give us an idea of how future cases based on similar airbag accidents were going to go. However, since GM’s liability for the accident was not touched on at all in this first case, we are going to have to wait for another case to make it to trial to get that bellweather ruling.
Have You Been Injured in an Accident? Get Expert Help Preparing Your Claim
If you have been injured in any kind of accident, it is imperative that you get professional help from an experienced personal injury attorney. Not only that—it is also essential that you follow your attorney’s advice. No doubt Scheuer’s attorney told him of the importance of describing the impact of his injury fully and accurately with accompanying documentation. However, it seems Scheuer ignored this advice to his own great disadvantage. Instead of relying on the facts and his attorney’s skill to maximize his compensation, apparently he attempted to alter some documents to support a larger settlement. In the end, he got nothing.
If you have questions about a personal injury claim, please do not hesitate to contact The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 and request a free initial consultation.
