Foot Pedal and Floor Mat Design

While you probably don't associate a vehicle foot pedal or floor mat with something that can hurt you, if these pedals or mats are designed improperly, they can cause vehicle operators to lose control of their vehicles and severely injure themselves or someone else. You may have seen this in reports of Toyota Sudden Acceleration or Lexus Sudden Acceleration in the news. Our attorneys have significant experience in handling cases where defective foot pedals and floor mats have caused severe injury and death.

Many of these cases involve situations where an unsecured floor mat interferes with the accelerator or brake pedal while a vehicle is being operated. In these situations the floor mats normally move forward and trap the vehicle accelerator, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. Once the pedal is trapped, sudden acceleration can occur and the driver is no longer able to stop or control the speed of the vehicle.

There are also many instances where a defective foot pedal design causes the pedals to "stick" or "jam" while the vehicle is being operated. This will similarly take away the driver's control and put both the driver and the motoring public at risk of death or severe injury as a result of Sudden Unintended Acceleration.

These cases can also involve brake failure (as seen in recent reports of Toyota Prius brake failure) or electronic failure of the throttle control system.

These are serious cases that require serious representation. Our firm has had great success obtaining documents from the automobile manufacturers which prove the manufacturers know that they are placing consumers' lives at risk by designing defective pedals and floor mats. This is often done to cut costs or speed up production deadlines.

If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of Sudden Acceleration or brake failure in Lexus or Toyota or other types of vehicles, you need an experienced lawyer who knows what they are doing and can maximize your recovery. Contact us today.