Families and Severely-Injured Victims of Defective GM and Chrysler Cars Travel to Washington to Seek Urgent Help

WASHINGTON, June 3 Victims and families from five states, some with catastrophic injuries, are asking Congress today for urgent help in light of the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies, which are wiping out their legal rights and those of millions of other Americans. According to the Chrysler bankruptcy plan, families driving any Chrysler now on the road (about 10 million vehicles), whose occupants are severely injured in a collision or otherwise because the car was not made safely, will have no recourse against the company. The GM bankruptcy proposes the same thing (about 30 million vehicles).

Families coming to Washington today traveled at great distances and with tremendous difficulty to plead for help. According to Joanne Doroshow, Executive Director of the national consumer group Center for Justice & Democracy, which is assisting the victims, "Of all the victims who could suffer from these bankruptcies, none are as tragic as the many men, women and children who were severely injured due to defectively designed or built cars, whose rights would be completely wiped out. What's more, this result is completely avoidable. There are practical and relatively affordable solutions to this problem."

Among those traveling to Washington are Shaun Doss, age 8, and his father Robert, from Gilbert, Arizona. As a 6-year-old, Shaun became severely injured and is now paraplegic when the seatbelt in his Dodge Durango failed during an accident. Robert, a single father and army veteran, says trying to keep up with the medical expenses incurred from the accident has been impossible. Caring for Shaun has ultimately cost him his job, house, and car. Robert said, "I'm not a crying person, but I cried every day of the three months I spent at Shaun's side in the hospital." Robert currently has a lawsuit pending against Chrysler, which will not go forward under Chrysler's plan.

It is estimated that every year, there are about 500 to 1,000 serious injuries or deaths due to cars that are designed or built with defects. The rights of all of these men, women and children are extinguished under the Chrysler and GM bankruptcy plans.

Doroshow said, "Under the Chrysler bankruptcy, warranties will be honored and money is set aside to cover replacement of defective car parts. However, if the part causes an accident or leads to a catastrophic injury or death, the company is off the hook. This is outrageous and unfair. Consumers should know that other car companies can still be held accountable for making unsafe cars but Chrysler or GM cannot." She indicated that possible solutions to help victims include ensuring the companies accept responsibility for existing products, develop a victims' fund that would allow consumers to proceed with their cases, and purchase a retroactive insurance policy to cover past, present and future injury claims.