Seat Belt Defect

Confidential settlement on behalf of a minor child who suffered a brain injury and facial deformity following an auto accident. Specifically, it was alleged that the seat belt buckle was defective in design, failure to warn, and the manufacturer was further negligent in failing to recall. The case alleged that the seat belt buckle in the family Mini Van was defectively designed to inadvertently release during foreseeable accident sequences.

In April, 2007, Joseph M. Lyon, along with co-counsel, his father, Michael F. Lyon, settled a case on behalf of a 14 year old boy from Mansfield Ohio who suffered a frontal lobe brain injury following an auto accident where his seat belt failed. The case alleged that the seat belt buckle in the family Mini Van was defectively designed in that it was prone to inadvertent release during foreseeable accident sequences. Mr. Lyon presented evidence that the company knew of the defect yet failed to adequately warn or recall the seat belt buckle. After two years of litigation, the parties reached a structured settlement weeks before trial for a confidential amount that will provide the care and security for the minor child for the rest of his life.