General Motors Settles in Auto Defect Claim; Plaintiff Claimed Laminated Sidelites Would Have Protected Him

General Motors Corp. has agreed to an out-of-court settlement in a case in which the plaintiff claimed his automobile accident injuries were caused by the defendant's use of tempered sidelites, rather than laminated, in the GMC Yukon in which he was riding, according to Bisnar Chase Consumer Attorneys LLC.

Bisnar Chase represented Michael Samardzich in the case, filed in the Superior Court of California in the county of Los Angeles.

The accident in which Samardzvich was involved occurred on July 7, 2006. The vehicle was struck on the passenger side, on which the plaintiff was riding, and the impact shattered the passenger window of the vehicle. The tempered glass from which the window was made shattered, and the glass shards pierced Samardzich's left eye, permanently blinding him, according to Bisnar Chase.

"Had General Motors used laminated glass instead of the less-expensive tempered glass, the side passenger window of the GMC truck would not have shattered and would not have caused permanent and serious personal injury to Samardzich," says John Bisnar, founder and partner at Bisnar Chase.

Bisnar adds, "It is Mr. Samardzich's hope that his lawsuit helps encourage General Motors to build safer vehiclese and thereby prevents others from suffering a similar injury."

Officials from General Motors Corp. were unavailable for comment.

CLICK HERE for a look at the use of plastic sidelites from the January/April 2001 issue of AGRR. Be sure to watch for the May/June 2008 issue, which will include an update on the growing use of plastic sidelites.

CLICK HERE for related story involving the 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe.

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