John Paxin, Jr. v. Nissan Motor Co.

Summary

A Nissan Titan driver was rendered a quadriplegic in a non-rollover accident involving the vehicle, and ultimately died three years later of pneumonia.

Plaintiffs, the driver's family, contend that the vehicle's side-curtain airbag improperly deployed. Plaintiffs claim the company knew of problems with the computer system but did not properly address the defect.

Defendant Nissan claims that the driver broke his neck after driving off an embankment, which ultimately stopped the truck. Representatives for Nissan point to one of the driver's medical conditions that allegedly makes his neck more brittle. Nissan claims that their side airbags only deploy when a rollover is imminent, and the crash from the embankment was severe enough to trigger the computer's prediction that the vehicle would flip. While the truck ultimately did not roll over, Nissan asserts that this system functioned properly.

Outcome

Defense verdict

Playlists

Demonstratives in Direct Examination