A man from Bogalusa and a woman from Angie have sued, alleging the faulty ignition switch in a GM vehicle recently recalled caused an accident in which they were injured.
Larry Davis Jr. and Arlesa L. Dillon filed a lawsuit April 21 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against General Motors and Delphi Automotive Systems.
According to the complaint, Dillon bought a 2010 Chevrolet Impala from a car dealership in McComb, Miss. and, in 2014, that make and model was among dozens recalled for a faulty ignition switch made by Delphi, which has since been liquidated and absorbed by GM. The car was one among 29 million vehicles recalled from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Saturn owners with this defect, the suit says.
The suit says on April 23, 2014, Davis was driving Dillon's Impala on state Highway 21 in Bogalusa, "when the steering defectively shut down and Davis Jr. ran directly into a Volvo 18-wheeler. The Impala's safety airbags did not deploy."
The complaint states as a result of the ignition switch failure and subsequent airbag malfunction, Davis Jr. and Dillon (the passenger) "sustained and will continue to sustain the loss of use of their vehicle, severe emotional stress, bodily injuries, economic losses and consequential damages."
The plaintiffs cite negligence, product liability and breach of implied warranty.
Davis and Dillon seek: unspecified compensatory damages; equitable relief; pre- and post-judgment interest; attorney fees; and court costs.
They are represented by attorneys Frank Tomeny III and Kevin P. Kleinpeter of Baton Rouge.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number: 2:15-cv-01282-MLCF-MBN.
GM sued over allegedly faulty ignition
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