Montgomery-based law firm files another GM ignition switch lawsuit

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - A Montgomery-based law firm is filing another lawsuit against General Motors in connection to the automaker's recall of millions of vehicle ignition switches. The Beasley Allen law filed its first suit in March says it plans 13 additional suits in the coming days.

The law firm announced a personal injury suit Tuesday on behalf of two clients, Josh Cull and Samantha Zollman, who the firm says were seriously injured as a result of faulty GM ignitions.

Cull and Zollman were traveling through Indiana in October 2012 when the law firm says the ignition switch in Cull's 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt failed. In addition to loss of control systems, Beasley Allen says the vehicle's airbag system failed to deploy and both victims suffered severe facial injuries. Cull lost an eye and Zollman continues to undergo facial reconstruction surgeries.

The ignitions switches can unintentionally slip from the "run" to the "off" or "accessory" positions while the vehicle is in operation. In the event the ignition switch comes out of its run position, the vehicle can suddenly lose power as well as braking, steering, and other functions.

The faulty switch is blamed for numerous deaths, 13 according to GM, and possibly as many as 300 based on a new study by the Center for Auto Safety.

"Josh Cull was traveling at the speed limit when he was involved in a single-vehicle accident. It was the type of crash a person ordinarily walks away from with only minimal injuries. But because of the ignition switch defect that disabled the power steering, power brakes and the airbags, Josh and Samantha sustained serious permanent injuries. They are among the hundreds of victims who trusted GM to make and sell safe vehicles," said Beasley Allen Shareholder Mike Andrews.

Beasley Allen sent a letter to GM CEO Mary Barra asking her to waive any bankruptcy defense.

"The automaker was bailed out by American taxpayers, and in the process it failed to disclose the ignition defect, the deaths and the knowledge of liability to either the public or the bankruptcy court," said Beasley Allen Founding Shareholder Jere Beasley. "Thus the bankruptcy judge was unaware of the known ignition defect that existed in a number of GM vehicles...and the company should now be held accountable for its grossly bad behavior."

GM has recalled more than 1.2 million vehicle due to the faulty ignition switches.

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