Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors has been instructed by a US court to pay $1.01 billion in damages following a 2017 car accident in the United States. The incident, which occurred in Pennsylvania, involved a defective seatbelt design in Francis Amagasu’s 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT, leading to severe injuries.
According to reports, Amagasu lost control of his vehicle while overtaking, and the faulty seatbelt failed to properly restrain him as the car rolled over. This resulted in his head hitting the roof of the car, causing a broken neck and paralysis. The damages awarded by the Philadelphia County court are among the largest in the city’s history.
The court’s ruling, issued on May 6, mandates Mitsubishi Motors to pay $976 million in addition to $33 million in delay damages. Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) has announced its intention to appeal the decision, asserting that it will continue to provide vehicles in compliance with laws and safety standards.
This verdict follows a similar case in 2022, where a US jury ordered Ford to pay $1.7 billion in damages for a 2014 crash in Georgia that resulted in two fatalities.”