A recently-filed class action lawsuit alleges that the roof in the 2006 Chevy Silverado failed in a rollover accident, resulting in severe head and next injuries to the pickup’s passenger.
Per a report by Car Complaints, the plaintiff, North Carolina resident Lauren Chapeco, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta division. Chapeco was involved in a collision with a Honda Civic in Georgia on November 27th, 2020, just after midnight on Interstate 95 in Camden County, Georgia.
The 2006 Chevy Silverado in which Chapeco was a passenger lost directional control after the Civic struck it near the right rear wheel. The pickup then rolled over several times, though the lawsuit does not specify how many times exactly the truck turned over. During this rollover incident, the pickup’s roof structure collapsed on Chapeco, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.
The plaintiff says that she sustained a C6-C7 vertebral fracture, skull fractures and a degloving injury of the scalp. The driver of the Chevy Silverado, Michael Scott, sustained minor injuries, as the driver side roof structure did not collapse. The lawsuit states that Chapeco would not have suffered such grave injuries had GM not “recklessly and wantonly placed a dangerous and defective vehicle into the stream of commerce.”
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that GM did not warn the plaintiff and the public regarding the “defectively designed roof structure and front-occupant compartment of the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado (including but not limited to the roof, pillars, doors, and windows).”
The Honda Civic was found at fault for the crash. However, the plaintiff asserts that she would not have suffered such severe injuries if the roof of the 2006 Chevy Silverado was not structurally defective.
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Comments
Is it defective if the roof collapses after rolling several times at speed?
I’d have to say that’s quite a stretch.
It sounds like she didn’t get enough money from the Civic driver and now wants to go after the deep pockets. What was the safety standards for trucks that year. When the driver bought the truck was, he aware of the rollover standard. Maybe he should be sued too.
Especially a 15 year old truck, if it spent any time north of the MasonDixon line in the winter you would never think of rolling one over. My 04 Silvy under hard breaking would send dozens of rust flakes down the road in front of the truck, it was comical.
I can assure you I had a 2002 Silverado that was involved in a similar accident with the same roll over outcome. If I recall correctly it rolled at least 3 times before coming to a rest upside down. If it wasn’t for the robust build of that truck the passenger and the child in the backseat in a car seat would have been serious injured.
My old man’s 2000 got t boned by a box truck and he walked away just fine. Granted not a roof structure but these were as well built as anything else in that time period.
Maybe the driver should be sued for not buying a new truck that was safer.
This is just a follow-on to the Ford suit. I am cynical enough to think some slip-and-fall law firm contacted the Chevy owner, offering a get-rich scheme.
I had the exact same thought. Hopefully they realize this was normal standards for that time period and not like Ford who used knowingly faulty parts
ford and dodge is trash, and the Chevy lawsuit will never be as bad as ford
Chevy Is The Best!
Exactly. It’s just that ford is trying to “come back” for their big lawsuit. ford and chrystler motor co. is nothing more than scum.
Chevrolet Is The Best!
One word ” frivolous “
Obviously the roof structure of 2006 Silverado’s are not defective. Without a roll bar I would expect a normal vehicle’s roof to compress during a high speed roll. Anytime your vehicle rolls you can expect to get hurt. I’m sorry she was injured by it’s not GM’s fault, it’s the fault of whomever caused the accident. I was rear-ended two months ago in my 2012 Silver 1500. I was stopped and was hit squarely by a 2015 Camry going about 40. I needed a new bumper, not one paint scratch, but the Camry was flat-bedded straight to the junk yard, she was bruised up but ok due her seatbelt and airbags. I’m sure that my receiver hitch help limit damage to my truck. Every future truck will have one. It probably saved my tailgate and bedsides.
Way down south where the bananas grow
A grasshopper stepped on an elephant’s toe
The elephant said, with tears in his eyes,
“Pick on somebody your own size.”
Seriously, though, even little cars can do big damage, and I suspect like the rest of you that it’s a search for deep pockets.
Any retail vehicle can only withstand so much in a rollover, especially multiple rolls. This is not a Nascar truck.
Frivolous lawsuit. Sad.
Another scum bag lawyer trying to get his pockets lined! Crappy thing is they take half or more of the profit from cases like that! Politicians and lawyers are 👎👎👎
The truck had to meet federal safety standards at the time of manufacture for it to be legally sold. A truck is not an M1 Abrams tank! It sure sounds like some unscrupulous lawyer is trying to make a quick buck.
I’m a firefighter, we had a call on interstate 195 for an MVA. When we arrived it was a new Ford F150 that rolled over two times landing upright, the truck had minimal damage and the driver refused to be transported to the hospital. No bags were deployed, this was about 5yrs ago, so it had curtain bags, but since he refused medical attention, the cops let him just drive off.
You wonder why insurance rates have been going up lately? A lot of cost for defense lawyers for GM and that translates higher cost for vehicles and insurance.