Los Angeles, California – General Motors Corporation has agreed to an out-of-court settlement of an automobile defect claim brought by a California teenager who was a passenger in a GMC Yukon collision. The settlement, reached in Los Angeles County, was for a “confidential” amount.On July 7, 2006, Michael Samardzich of Diamond Bar, California was a passenger in a GMC Yukon driven by Vincent Ibarra. Ibarra made a left turn at an intersection when a vehicle hit the GMC truck on the right passenger side. The impact shattered the Yukon’s window; glass shards pierced and ruptured Samardzich’s left eye, permanently blinding him. The police report showed that Samardzich was properly restrained at the time of the collision.
“Had General Motors used laminated glass instead of the less-expensive tempered glass, the side passenger window of the GMC truck would not have shattered and would not have caused permanent and serious personal injury to Samardzich,” said John Bisnar, founder and partner of Bisnar Chase, which represented Samardzich. “This settlement was an appropriate resolution to Mr. Samardzich’s claim against General Motors. Both sides took into consideration the costs and risks associated with taking the case to trial and settled for an amount greater than General Motors wanted to pay and less than my client demanded. It is Mr. Samardzich’s hope that his lawsuit helps encourage General Motors to build safer vehicles and thereby prevents others from suffering a similar injury.”
