Nissan Compensates California Woman Paralyzed by Uncrashworthy Versa

Rob Ammons has successfully brought a products liability case against Nissan to its conclusion. In a lawsuit he filed on behalf of a 25-year-old woman rendered quadriplegic when her 2007 Versa rolled over, Ammons claimed that the rollover protection system (ROPS) of the car was defective and failed to provide necessary occupant protection.

The woman was the belted operator of the Versa who found herself having to steer hard to avoid striking a dog that suddenly appeared in the roadway. The Versa swerved and skidded, then left the roadway and rolled over. First responders found the woman trapped in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, still belted. They cut her seat belt to allow for her extrication after which she was urgently transported to the hospital for treatment.

According to Ammons, the Versa’s ROPS was defective and not crashworthy in this foreseeable rollover because, as the vehicle rolled, its roof collapsed, its seat belt failed to couple the woman to her seat, and the side curtain air bag failed to deploy. These shortcomings combined to allow the woman to move away from her seat and forcefully contact the collapsing roof of the Versa. As a result, she sustained spinal cord injuries that have rendered her permanently paralyzed from the chest down. Charges for treatment of her injuries already exceed $730,000. Charges for future medical care are projected to be $14,115,095.

The Ammons Law Firm has a nationwide personal injury practice focusing on tire defects, truck accidents, rollovers, consumer protection and product liability, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, air bag defects and plant explosions.