The California auto defects lawyers of BISNAR | CHASE (www.BestAttorney.com) have filed a products liability wrongful death lawsuit agains Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Sales USA after a rollover crash that killed Jeffrey Bachman. The lawsuit is brought against the defendants by Angela Bachman, Jeffrey's wife.

In April of 2008, Jeffrey was driving a 1998 Toyota 4Runner SUV on I-95 in Cumberland, North Carolina when the vehicle suddenly swerved and rolled over numerous times. The roof of the SUV crushed inward, causing Jeffrey to be partially ejected from the 4Runner and sustain severe and devastating head injuries including skull fractures and fractured vertebrae.

The suit alleges that the Toyota 4Runner Jeffrey was driving had a high center of gravity and a too narrow track width which made it laterally and directionally unstable. This possibly caused the car to swerve and topple over before Jeffrey could regain control.

Further, the pillars and windshield headers and roof rails were lacking in sufficient strength and structural design to withstand minimal roof crush forces without harming the vehicle's occupants. The use of tempered glass in the side windows and the lack of side air bags failed to protect Jeffrey from ejection, which caused the fatal injuries that led to his death.

"Tragically, Toyota's 4Runner SUV offered Jeffrey zero protection against mortal injuries during this rollover crash," said Brian Chase of the BISNAR | CHASE auto products liability firm. "As far as handling, it's unlikely that even a professional driver would have been able to regain control of this SUV. We believe Toyota acted in callous and negligent disregard for human safety by allowing its 4Runner to be sold to the public in the first place, knowing it was wrought with defects."

Toyota Knew of Auto Defects in 4Runner Design

Allegedly, before the Toyota 4Runner was manufactured, it failed stability tests and was found, by the Federal Registry, to be the number two most likely vehicle in its class to tip and roll over. During Toyota's own in-house testing, the 4Runner was found to tip at speeds around 35 mph.

The suit also claims that the defective and unsafe windows of the 4Runner did not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205. The absence of airbags made it impossible for Jeffrey to be properly restrained the vehicle, and to be ejected.

According to the lawsuit, the 4Runner has been misrepresented. All marketing, advertising, and promotional materials make the 4Runner appear safe for its intended purposes, yet the third generation 4Runner is lacking in safety features and a sound structure.

The lawsuit is pending in the State of North Carolina, County of Durham. The case number is 10CV002375.