Random People Who Died from Catastrophic Car Malfunctions (16 items)

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  (#3) Paul Walker

  • Actor

  The "Fast and Furious" actor met an untimely death when he and friend, Roger Rodas, took a Porsche Carrera GT out for a drive in 2013. The vehicle smashed into a tree and a lamp post before bursting into flames.

  Both Walker's daughter (Meadow) and father filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Porsche, claiming the car company failed to install certain safety features which would have helped to save the actor's life.

  Meadow's lawsuit claims her father survived the crash, but burned to death after being trapped due to Porsche defects. The lawsuit is still ongoing.  
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  (#1) Anton Yelchin

  • Actor

  Twenty-seven-year-old Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin died at his home in Los Angeles in 2016 after being struck by his own car. He was standing behind his Jeep Grand Cherokee when it suddenly rolled backward down his steep driveway and pinned him to his brick mailbox and security gate. Investigators said that the car was in neutral when the accident occurred, although they weren't sure why he got out of the car. It turns out, the Grand Cherokee was the subject of a recall. Other owners filed complaints and cited injuries, though Yelchin's death was the first fatality.
  
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  (#4) Defective Ignition Switch

  It took General Motors over 10 years to fix faulty ignition switches in their vehicles, which were responsible for at least 124 fatalities. GM eventually recalled over 30 million cars, which would shut off while driving and fail to deploy airbags.

  GM's failure to respond quickly to vehicle issues led to tragedy in 2010. On Brooke Melton's 29th birthday, the Chevy Cobalt she was driving stalled, spun out into another vehicle, and flipped 15 feet into a creek. Melton died from the crash.

  Melton's family sued GM over the defect, which led to the recall of millions of cars and ultimately saved the lives of other drivers.
  
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  (#16) Homocide by Airbag

  Hien Tran's death was originally believed to be a homicide due to extensive stab wounds all over her body. Upon further investigation, authorities realized that Tran's wounds were caused when the airbags in her 2001 Honda Accord ruptured after a collision. Tran's family sued Takata and Honda for her death.
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  (#5) Fatal Hayride

  Halloween is usually a night full of harmless fun, but for visitors at Harvest Hill Farms in Maine, a night in 2014 turned into a real life nightmare.

  The farm's Haunted Hayride took a horrifying turn when a mechanical issue caused the Jeep towing a tractor full of people to lose control. The ride was carrying 22 passengers when the Jeep sped down a hill and crashed into a tree. All passengers were thrown from the trailer, and one of them died.

  Cassidy Charette, 17, suffered fatal injuries from the accident, and her boyfriend was also seriously injured. 
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  (#8) Takata Airbag Malfunction

  In March 2016, Huma Hanif, 17, of Texas, was driving her 2002 Honda Civic when she rear-ended a car in front of her. The airbag deployed, sending shrapnel flying into the young girl's neck. The teen died from her injuries.

  Honda released a statement to Buzzfeed after the accident that read, "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the driver during this difficult time."

  The motor company has recalled millions of vehicles over the airbag issue, however, Hanif's family claims they never received a notice prior to the fatal accident. 

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