A couple have been awarded $42 million by a Dallas County jury after the shoddy work of an auto repair shop left them trapped in the burning wreckage of their car following a crash.
Matthew and Marcia Seebachan were almost killed when their 2010 Honda Fit was hit by another car in December 2013 as they were travelling to visit relatives for Christmas.
The crash set off a domino effect of structural failures after the collision due to the metal roof being glued on by John Eagle Collision Center and not welded as specified by Honda.
Instead of walking away from the crash unharmed, the couple suffered major burns and crushing injuries.
Todd Tracy, a Dallas attorney who specializes in vehicle safety said the verdict sends a strong message to repair shops: Fix vehicles properly or pay the price. ‘This case is bigger than money,’ he said. ‘This case is about industry-wide change.’
Matthew and Marcia Seebachan nearly died when their 2010 Honda Fit was hit by another car in December 2013. They have now been awarded $42 million from a Dallas County jury
The defective roof repair caused the car’s safety cage to collapse and the fuel tank ruptured below the driver’s seat
An auto repair shop glued the roof of their car instead of welding it prior to the accident
The defective roof repair caused the Honda’s safety cage to collapse and the fuel tank ruptured below the driver’s seat.
Matthew, 33, was trapped behind the steering wheel and remained conscious as flames burned his feet and lower legs.
He was pulled from the wreck by a passing motorist and his 29-year-old wife was rescued through the passenger window from the destroyed car.
When the couple bought the used car in August of 2013 from the Huffines Kia in Denton, the CarFax report did not state that repair work had been completed on the roof by the John Eagle Collision Center.
Matthew was trapped behind the steering wheel and remained conscious as flames burned his feet and lower legs. They were rescued by passing motorists
The car caught fire and the roof collapsed. The couple had crushing injuries to their bodies. Matthew was severely burned on his lower legs and feet before he was rescued from the car
Marcia had to be extracted through the passenger-side window. The Seebachans had bought the used 2010 Honda Fit four months before the crash
The couple’s lawyer, Todd Tracy stated: ‘There was no way the Seebachans or anyone from Huffines Kia could see that the roof was glued rather than being welded because paint and shiny trim covered up a time bomb.’
They only had the car for approximately four months before the accident.
Body shop director John Boyce revealed that the roof of the car was in fact repaired with glue instead of being welded.
Boyce said the previous owner of the car had taken it to John Eagle Collision Center to have the roof repaired following a hail storm in July 2012.
The Seebachans claimed in their lawsuit that since the Honda was not repaired properly, the fuel tank and structural integrity of the car was compromised in the crash
When the couple bought the used car in August of 2013, the CarFax report did not state that repair work had been completed on the roof by the John Eagle Collision Center
Boyce admitted that the company ignored Honda’s repair specifications.
‘The testimony and facts in this defective repair lawsuit clearly show that John Eagle Collision Center used glue instead of the more expensive welding because it cares more about getting paid by the insurance company than they care about putting a vehicle out there on the road that’s safe and reliable,’ Tracy said.
‘John Eagle Collision Center, by covering up its arrogant repair of using glue rather than following the manufacturer’s body repair specifications and using welds just like Honda had done when they designed, developed, and tested the vehicle, created a time bomb that was waiting to explode,’ he continued.
The Seebachans claim in their lawsuit that since the Honda was not repaired properly, the fuel tank and structural integrity of the car was compromised in the crash.
The couple only discovered after the accident that its metal roof had been glued rather than welded on for the previous owner. The repairs were not listed in the car’s vehicle history report
The failure of the glued roof set off a domino effect of structural failures that caused the Honda Fit’s safety cage to collapse which in effect crushed the couple like they were inside a trash compactor and punctured the gas tank located under the driver’s seat