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INJURY LAW

Read a guide to the legal rights of the injured.

SUBMIT YOUR CASE

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, represents people injured in tire and other vehicle accidents. Click here to submit your case.

VIDEO

Lieff Cabraser attorneys Robert J. Nelson and Scott Nealey discuss a wrongful death lawsuit based on a transmission defect in millions of Chrysler vehicles.

Vehicle Safety News

August 16, 2007

Star-Gazette (NY), "Muffler eyed in fatal I-86 Kia Sportage fire"

Investigators believe holes in the top of a muffler ignited the floorboard and interior of a vehicle on Interstate 86 in the town of Erwin on Tuesday, killing a 4-week-old infant and her 18-month-old sister. The infant, Sinaya Beam, and her sister, 18-month-old Izzybella Beam, both died in a fire that broke out in the back seat area of the 1999 Kia Sportage driven by their mother, 25-year-old Melissa Johns of Savona.

Johns was driving home from Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, where the infant had her first checkup Tuesday, family members said. State Police Investigator Chris Wilkinson said investigators think the fire started when welded spots on the top of the muffler eroded, allowing hot exhaust gases to escape, burn through the floorboard and ignite the interior of the car. "That coincides with witness accounts that said the fire was behind the driver's seat," Wilkinson said. "It's hard to get any information from the mother because she's so distraught."

DEFECTIVE VEHICLES - PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS

We are committed to providing the very best representation and support possible for our vehicle injury clients, and to obtaining the highest compensation available under law for their claims.

Contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser to discuss your legal rights at no cost or obligation.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

Our lawyers have years of experience successfully representing clients in personal injury cases.
There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case.
In death and serious injury cases, we are pleased to visit you where you live, at no cost, to discuss your legal rights and answer your questions.
We have retained automotive safety and medical experts nationwide to assist our clients with their claims.

Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is a national plaintiffs' law firm of over 50 lawyers with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. Our attorneys are recognized for the successful prosecution of lawsuits involving deaths, personal injuries and property damage due to defective products, including dangerous and defective vehicles.

In 2007, in Mraz v. DaimlerChrysler, Lieff Cabraser attorneys, with local co-counsel, obtained the fourth-largest verdict in California for the year. At trial, plaintiffs showed that a defective transmission was responsible for making a Dodge Dakota pickup shift into reverse and run over Richard Mraz.

To learn more about the firm, click here.

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