Hyundai was hit with $248 million in damages, including a $240 million punitive award, for the deaths of two cousins in a 2011 crash that was allegedly caused by a weak component in the steering mechanism of the Hyundai Tiburon they were driving.
The Montana court found that the 2005 Tiburon contained a manufacturing defect in the right front steering knuckle that failed and caused the car to swerve across a median into oncoming traffic. The teenage driver, Trevor Olson, and his younger cousin, Tanner Olson, died in the crash, as did a woman in the oncoming vehicle.
The jury determined that the parents of the victims were entitled to $1 million and their sibling received $500,000 each to compensate for the wrongful deaths. The verdict also awarded $2.6 million for Trevor’s Olson’s lost earnings.
The jury then hit Hyundai with a separate $240 million punitive damages verdict for “actual malice,” in line with the plaintiffs’ argument at truck that the company chose not to recall the knuckles to boost its bottom line.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident due to a defective part, contact us to help you today.