Alexis Wilson spent two years in jail after slamming into a pole while driving a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and causing the death of her best friend, Tamia Williams. While Wilson openly admits her role in the accident – including intoxication – she believes her friend may still be alive if the Malibu’s front airbags had deployed.
The Pontiac, Mich. resident and Williams’ mother have now hired an attorney to sue “GM over what they believe is a defect in the Malibu. While the front air bags did not deploy, the side-curtain ones did,” according to the Detroit News.
“I feel like I took responsibility for my actions with me going to prison and dealing with my friend dying. I feel like that General Motors should take some responsibility in terms of what’s wrong with the car.”
Though General Motors did recall the Chevrolet Malibu earlier this year, the recall was for possible power steering failure and not for airbag-related issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that it has received 18 complaints related to airbags in the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu.
Wilson’s lawyer, Bob Hilliard, told the Detroit News that he planned to file a lawsuit against General Motors unless the company added the vehicle to the compensation plan for victims of accidents related to ignition switch failure. “This is an absolute cookie-cutter air bag deployment case. In this type of impact, the air bags are to deploy.” The newspaper added that the police report specifically notes that the vehicle suffered severe damage to the front end and passenger door.
For her part, Wilson told the Detroit News that suing General Motors is not about money. “I just want my record clean and for [Williams’] family to forgive me and let everybody know it wasn’t my fault and could be something wrong with the car.”
General Motors spokesman Greg Martin chose not to comment about the pending legal case.
Comments
Come on you were drunk and there is no exact science for a air bag to deploy on each and every car the same.
I would have to see the photo but if there was damage to the door the impact was not fully head on and generally bags do not always go off in these crashes.
I swear we continue to reward people for their own stupidity we are doomed.,
I cut the back of my hand working on my Bonneville when the wrench slipped in my hand I guess I should sue GM because they made a sharp surface?
When is this going to stop.
An air bag would not have saved her friend.
http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20140717&Category=AUTO0103&ArtNo=307170040&Ref=AR&MaxW=600&Border=0
After looking those pictures over, I tend to agree. OTOH yes the airbag is a supplemental safety restraint/device, the primary being the seat belts. But by the looks of things she may not have survived even if all things were proper. Sad but true is It just happens that way at times.
Ah, God Bless America, where anybody can sue anyone for almost anything. This is shameful. The airbag issue its not even related to the ingnition switch failure!
Holy s*** this country is full of gold diggers, kid, you were drunk, you caused the accident by crashIng into a pole, GM is not responsible for your stupidity.
The air bag is only a secondary backup, a properly fitted seatbelt will do wonders, was she even wearing one ???
If not, dumb.
She and her friend screwed up for getting stinking drunk and driving home, presumably without wearing their seat belts. They are both to blame, no one else.
I will add that I was young once and understand the need to go out and drink and have fun. It is a drive driven by one’s hormones and age that is difficult to deal with. So anyone on here is thinking of having more than 1 beer and you are planning on driving, please you some common sense and make other plans. Go to a bar close by or rent a hotel room, or even go home with some fat chick, so you don’t drive and get thrown in the slammer, or worse, take someone’s life.
I have the service manuals of every GM vehicle I owe and all declare the airbags a “Supplemental Inflatable Restraint System”, never the primary restraint. That is the job of the seat and shoulder belts. So if the two women didn’t wear the belts, and one was killed, they voluntary rejected the use of the primary restraint system, and they voluntary drove the vehicle while intoxicated. Only they are at fault. No one at GM is!
Cars that are heaps of trash are only defended on this site.
GM could literally serve up a pile of dog feces, and people here would marvel at its exquisite design, nice features, and wonderful aroma.
I demand you to tell me how an airbag would have prevented her friends death in light of the images presented in the article:
http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20140717&Category=AUTO0103&ArtNo=307170040&Ref=V1&MaxW=600&Border=0
She was drunk, high, and speeding. She admitted fault to the accident, and from the state of the car, the airbag wouldn’t have saved her friend.
Tell us all, in detail, why GM is at fault here.
Hey, Magirus crawled out.
Almost every manufacturer is having several airbag related recalls right now. As stated above, airbags are a supplemental safety system. Surely even you Magirus can understand that driving drunk and possibly not wearing seatbelts is what lead to the death. Actually experts have stated that airbags could be more dangerous for those not wearing safety belts. Plus front end damage does not mean the airbags weren’t working as there are several impact factors determining airbag deployment.
Oh look, it’s magirus, back from the dead to make idiotic comments based on absolutely no knowledge what so ever. So tell me Magirus, how is the car a heap of trash when you most likely drive a 20 year old piece of crap civic?
What amazes me is that people still are buying GM cars. After all we know about this company, and the way it’s leadership acts even today, I believe they still can’t be trusted and my family will NEVER buy a car made by a GM company – they make DEATH CARS
Polski1…..Actually that makes people who work for GM dealerships kind of happy because anyone who thinks GM is the only auto manufacturer who has had people die in in their cars is someone too stupid to deal with.
I guess you surely won’t by Toyota because they had 83 people die from stuck accelerators. And you won’t buy from Ford due to killing 130+ people from faulty tires. And lets now leave out Honda, Dodge and Nissan with their recent recalls on faulty airbags, risk of fires, and the list goes on.
So I guess you will be the most physically fit person in the world from riding your bike.
The front bumper bar is undamaged. Does not look like a frontal crash. Would be interesting to know how it actually crashed.
Come on be nice to magirus and Polski1.
It is folks like these that make the rest of us look so good. Remember if there was no hot there would be no cold. If there were no idiots like them there would be no informed smart people like the rest of us.
From what I can find on this accident this car was hit more on the side and it was not a head on hit. That being the case they normally do not deploy the bag in dash.
The fact is there are no set standards on how or where a bag goes off. All MFG take the car and formulate the parameters that set the bag off to do the most good and lest risk of injury, Often the injuries are more if the passenger or drive are not belted as there are often greater risk of neck injury to the point of broken neck.
The air bag is not the answer to all things in a crash. While they do help in many cases they can do great damage if not set off properly. Also they can burn and cut as I found out in my crash where the bag hit me and not me hitting it as the car was stopped.
The simple fact is if you do not wan the risk of being killed in a car then never get in one. The risk is there bag or no bag. The bags are supplemental only and are not a do all protection from stupidity.
As a Ford engineer once told me we do not fool proof cars we try to idiot proof them.
“If there were no idiots like them there would be no informed smart people like the rest of us.”
What you are is a blow-hard. But I’m sure you know that already.
Sorry Anon I did forgot to list you with the dis-informed trolls. It was unintentional oversight on my part and I will make sure not do that again.
See folks I rest my case. Just goes to show when you need to prove a point the examples just pop up when you need them.
Great, finally a post without hundreds of unnecessary words! And thanks, I’ll die a happy person knowing I’m nothing like you!!! But I’m confused about something: just who is the troll exactly? The guy pointing out that you don’t have all the facts? The fellow with an opinion different than yours? (God forbid, sound the alarms, right, a “troll” is in our midst!) Or the guy who once again started with the name calling? (Because, once again, that would be you.) You don’t have to answer me, something says you probably won’t understand the question, anymore than you’ll get what it’s like to feel empathy for something other than yourself, but you might think about it next time you’re pecking at the keyboard.
I am glad you are happy. I try to use short easy to pronounce words to help you.
Just to clear it up you are the troll as If you recall you attack me over the fact I want to hold drunk, speeding and unbelted drivers responsible for their deaths and you jumped all over me for my opinion.
Also you like to say I don’t have the facts but you never back it up. If I am wrong about something post the facts you have to back it up. To this point you have had none.
All you have done is tell me and others I am wrong but never said anything of value in factual information. links or data.
I am secure is what I say and I have been wrong and even thanked those who have corrected me. Just of late on the 9-10 speed transmission program with Ford and GM.
You are just mad I am disagreeing with you on the fact I hold others responsible for their action in a car and not just a corporation.
Note I am not the only one who has called you out and I am not the last. If you don’t like it pass over my post and I will do in kind. But comment on mine expect me to post my thoughts.
The internet is for people who have a thick skin and if you don’t have it stay off the web. This place is tame compared to most so I would use care in venturing out.
I have empathy for those who are responsible and try to do the right thing but sorry I have little for those who make poor choices and expect to place blame on all others than them selves for their actions.
If you want to debate then present your case and debate if not pass over my post and we will get along real fine.
That is a 6th generation Malibu and a piece of crap. Why are they showing a photo of the 7th generation?
There were two Malibu’s that year if I recall correctly. The new 08 and the Classic 08. They often get confused in the media.
Its like the great CTS ignition confusion. While they say stop sell the only car affected is the wagon and coupe. Not exactly a lot of stopped sales there. Both were getting wound down anyways so it is more a non story than anything. The new CTS sedan is unaffected. Now do you understand my disgust with media?