Kia held responsible for death of motorist who reclined their seat too far?

[Msterbeau]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/30/hyundai-loses-1-8m-lawsuit-because-of-seats-that-recline-too-fa/

When are these moronic lawsuits going to be tossed out? If I want to recline the seat full back and take a snooze, I can do so. If I want to drive, I sit upright. Apparently that's not very common sense.

[candyman]

Wow...that lady musta been one stupid individual...

I will try to refrain from speaking about women driver here but I will say that I see WAY too many people doing the whole gangster lean thing and I am not sure why it is done, but I kinda hope you crash so you see what happens.

Why don't they just go on with the mandate that was tossed out a while ago...all seatbelt systems had to be active and attached to the seat so it would hold onto you no matter how far back you recline...that would have helped here...

[creatureofthenyte]

People do a lot of stupid things in their cars..

I hope the judge did a facepalm and throughs this out.

[Msterbeau]

Wow...that lady musta been one stupid individual...

I will try to refrain from speaking about women driver here but I will say that I see WAY too many people doing the whole gangster lean thing and I am not sure why it is done, but I kinda hope you crash so you see what happens.

Why don't they just go on with the mandate that was tossed out a while ago...all seatbelt systems had to be active and attached to the seat so it would hold onto you no matter how far back you recline...that would have helped here...

It's not just the woman. Clearly stupid runs in the family if they're suing for this...

[candyman]

It's not just the woman. Clearly stupid runs in the family if they're suing for this...

Ah...good point...

[Hellion]

Frivolous lawsiuts are so bad you can sue someone if they say "I hate you" or "your stupid",yeah most people do suck,probably get sued saying that (sarcasm)

Edited April 30, 2010 by Hellion

[TitsMcGee]

You've got to be kidding me. This has to be the stupidest thing I've heard all day.

[Msterbeau]

You've got to be kidding me. This has to be the stupidest thing I've heard all day.

There's plenty of stupid to go around. There's a good chance you'll hear something worse before you go to bed.

[TitsMcGee]

There's plenty of stupid to go around. There's a good chance you'll hear something worse before you go to bed.

With the way I feel right now that could be any minute lol

[Hellion]

You've got to be kidding me. This has to be the stupidest thing I've heard all day.

I agree,how is a car maker responsible on how someone uses their vehicle? some people should have never been allowed to exist in the first place.

[Epic_Fail_Guy]

great.. one less luxory to look forward to.. seats that can recline all the way back will most likely be a thing of the past. I always appreciated that when I'd get tired after a long drive, i could just pull into a rest stop and get a comfortable snooze to recharge my batteries for the rest of the trip.

This lawsuit is a prime example of why we can't have nice things.

[Soulrev]

Yeah I'm not gunna lie I've been known to "gangsta lean" in my car but that's only because I'm 6'2" and drive a honda civic. If I had more room in the damn thing I could sit up normally.

[Rev.Reverence]

Yeah I'm not gunna lie I've been known to "gangsta lean" in my car but that's only because I'm 6'2" and drive a honda civic. If I had more room in the damn thing I could sit up normally.

...at 6'6", I feel ya'!

..& I only ever ride in cars...

[candyman]

A simple safety switch, probably a redundant setup, will probably be the norm from now on because of this...if you lean too far back the switch will kill forward movement or cut the ignition or something depending on the manufacturer.

[taysteewonderbunny]

Msterbeau--it's not a grammatical mistake, but a factual error: per the article you linked, would you please amend the title of this topic so that it says "Hyundai" instead of "Kia?" Thanks.

[Msterbeau]

Msterbeau--it's not a grammatical mistake, but a factual error: per the article you linked, would you please amend the title of this topic so that it says "Hyundai" instead of "Kia?" Thanks.

Odd. I remember the article being about a Kia... Now it says Hyundai? I wonder if the author made a mistake when it was originally published...???

[n0Mad]

Hyundai is the parent company of Kia.

[KatRN05]

So let me get this straight. The motorist put his seat back too far and got into an accident and died and it's somehow Kia's fault? Fucked up. Darwinism is a bitch.

[Msterbeau]

Hyundai is the parent company of Kia.

I'm well aware of that.

Looking through the comments in the article again, someone pointed out that the dead woman was a passenger. Which changes things a little. It means she wasn't driving that way so her idiocy level goes down, but she still assumed the risk of doing that in a moving vehicle. I can't believe a jury found Hyundai even remotely responsible. Our jury pools are turning into a blob of idiocy too...

[taysteewonderbunny]

I'm well aware of that.

Looking through the comments in the article again, someone pointed out that the dead woman was a passenger. Which changes things a little. It means she wasn't driving that way so her idiocy level goes down, but she still assumed the risk of doing that in a moving vehicle. I can't believe a jury found Hyundai even remotely responsible. Our jury pools are turning into a blob of idiocy too...

Sorry, I didn't know that Hyundai was Kia's parent company. I thought they were entirely separate entities. My bad. I apologize, Msterbeau, for my erroneous comments.

It should be obvious that employing an alternate seating position during travel mitigates the effectiveness of a safety restraint system, but we Americans, in general, lack the imagination to elaborate on the eminent. That's why so many of us dangle limbs out the windows of our vehicles, drive with one foot on the dashboard of our car, let our kids sleep sprawled on the back seat, etc.

I would think that engineers would have a very difficult time devising a safety restraint system for a forward facing reclining position. The way I imagine it, it positions the longest, heaviest, and strongest bones in one's body (the femurs) directly in front of the torso which houses the vast majority of one's vital organs--all very soft tissues. So, if there were an accident at high speed in which one's vehicle came to a sudden stop, one's knees would ram into the dash sending one's femurs through the pelvis; one would be impaled by one's own legs. The bonus is that a full-grown adult can be buried in a child-sized casket, but the downside is your little organ donation endorsement is bunk.

I can't see how any of this would be Hyundai/Kia's fault. The accident wasn't a failure of the safety restraint system. The system was not being employed as intended.

[candyman]

I would think that engineers would have a very difficult time devising a safety restraint system for a forward facing reclining position. The way I imagine it, it positions the longest, heaviest, and strongest bones in one's body (the femurs) directly in front of the torso which houses the vast majority of one's vital organs--all very soft tissues. So, if there were an accident at high speed in which one's vehicle came to a sudden stop, one's knees would ram into the dash sending one's femurs through the pelvis; one would be impaled by one's own legs. The bonus is that a full-grown adult can be buried in a child-sized casket, but the downside is your little organ donation endorsement is bunk.

I can't see how any of this would be Hyundai/Kia's fault. The accident wasn't a failure of the safety restraint system. The system was not being employed as intended.

You seem to assume that when an accident occurs that the vehicle and the person come into hard contact at a high velocity. If that is the case it doesn't matter what sort of system is holding you in place or what position your body is in...you will either die quickly or you will die slowly OR assuming you live you will have become nothing more than human tissue run by machines.

The forward crumple zones on vehicles today are really doing their job well. I have seen some pretty nasty collision results and the front took more than enough of the blow. Leaning back could throw you out or give you an experience different from the one you receive sitting up but you will most likely receive nothing more than a bad pain and a bruise from the accident unless you seat was put in a cramped forward position.

Sorry but my senior thesis dealt with the safety systems on modern vehicles. I can say that actually yes we CAN devise a system...but no you cannot pay for it...you do realize the terrible price you pay for the safety systems you already have don't you? And who the hell is going to give up some of the "freedoms" that current systems give you, like reclining all the way back? On the same note, if you ware worried about safety systems and the probability of surviving a bad accident...stay the hell out of hybrid vehicles!

I really like my race seat and race harness...they are cheap, sorta, and effective. Practical for the rest of the populace? No. However, a hybrid system of the common seat and seatbelt combo with my racing seat and racing harness, which is legal for road use, would probably provide something better than what we have today. Engineers have been working on it for a while now. I got to see a system that employed a mild wrap around seat which holds the drivers body in a tight grip and does not recline more than 32* and used a 4-point harness instead of what he have today...it was all anchored in instead of being bolted in.

[taysteewonderbunny]

You seem to assume that when an accident occurs that the vehicle and the person come into hard contact at a high velocity. If that is the case it doesn't matter what sort of system is holding you in place or what position your body is in...you will either die quickly or you will die slowly OR assuming you live you will have become nothing more than human tissue run by machines.

Obviously, I have an active imagination. I have an anxiety disorder. I have 30+ years imagining all the horrific, even if highly improbable, ways in which I could die in any given moment.

The forward crumple zones on vehicles today are really doing their job well. I have seen some pretty nasty collision results and the front took more than enough of the blow. Leaning back could throw you out or give you an experience different from the one you receive sitting up but you will most likely receive nothing more than a bad pain and a bruise from the accident unless you seat was put in a cramped forward position.

Sorry but my senior thesis dealt with the safety systems on modern vehicles. I can say that actually yes we CAN devise a system...but no you cannot pay for it...you do realize the terrible price you pay for the safety systems you already have don't you? And who the hell is going to give up some of the "freedoms" that current systems give you, like reclining all the way back? On the same note, if you ware worried about safety systems and the probability of surviving a bad accident...stay the hell out of hybrid vehicles!

I really like my race seat and race harness...they are cheap, sorta, and effective. Practical for the rest of the populace? No. However, a hybrid system of the common seat and seatbelt combo with my racing seat and racing harness, which is legal for road use, would probably provide something better than what we have today. Engineers have been working on it for a while now. I got to see a system that employed a mild wrap around seat which holds the drivers body in a tight grip and does not recline more than 32* and used a 4-point harness instead of what he have today...it was all anchored in instead of being bolted in.

Thank you for giving me a better grasp on reality.

[candyman]

Obviously, I have an active imagination. I have an anxiety disorder. I have 30+ years imagining all the horrific, even if highly improbable, ways in which I could die in any given moment.

Thank you for giving me a better grasp on reality.

Well that was quite the horrific accident you described. I would tell you about a Prius that crashed into a parked truck but what happened makes your accident look like the better way to die.

But even with that vehicles today are fairly safe. Nothing we do is going to make up for that major accident. So, unless the vehicle you are in has Geo on the badge or is made of 85% rust you should be fine...and this only applies to that small chance that you get into an accident...just stay away from Illinois drivers and you are fine.

[TygerLili]

Stupid lawsuits like this are why the court system is so bogged down...

[Hellion]

example 1.

Someone chokes to death on peanut butter

family gets to sue the makers of JIF

judge allows it to go through

causing the cost of product to go up.

example 2.

You tell someone you hate them( your opinion)

they sue you for defamation of character

judge allows it.

example 3.

Some moron doesn't get a hard on

while taking Enzyte,they sue the

company and Bob as well.

IMO why most people in society suck.