Olson vs. Hyundai

The judge listens to emotional testimony during day three of the Olson versus Hyundai case in Lake County on April 30, 2014.
The judge listens to emotional testimony during day three of the Olson versus Hyundai case in Lake County on April 30, 2014.

 

US-based news outlets including AP reported on May 13 (local time) that a state court jury in Montana ordered Hyundai Motor to pay US$240 million (247 billion won) in punitive damages for a crash in 2011.

This verdict is based on the jury’s belief that the crash that killed 19-year-old Trevor Olson and 14-year-old Tanner Olson on July 2, 2011 was caused by a manufacturing defect. 

NBC Montana said, “The jury accepted the family’s allegation that Olson’s 2005 Hyundai Tiburon slammed head-on into another car after a defective steering knuckle broke, causing the vehicle to swerve into oncoming traffic.” The steering knuckle in question was used from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, and it was found to be defective in other cases.

Hyundai’s attorneys stressed, “The driver was distracted by fireworks exploding in the unbelted teenagers’ vehicle immediately before the accident. It caused the driver to suddenly react and caused the car to swerve,” citing burn marks showing that fireworks were ignited in the car and a receipt for fireworks purchased about 20 minutes before the crash. 

The jury awarded US$1 million to each parent of two cousins and US$500,000 for each sibling. Jurors said that Hyundai must also give a compensatory payment of US$2.6 million to Trevor Olson’s family for lost earnings.

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