Bruner v. Key Safety Systems, Inc.
Nov 23, 2013OUTCOME: $4,639,000 jury verdict
A Gwinnett County, Georgia, jury found Key Safety Systems, Inc., liable for a defective seatbelt that they determined led to the death of Mrs. Penney Bruner when the vehicle in which she was a passenge ... r was involved in a rollover accident. They awarded Mrs. Bruner’s family $4.639 million. Melody Glouton, together with Beasley Allen attorneys Chris Glover and Kendall Dunson, represented the Bruner family, in the two week jury trial held before State Court Judge Pamela South. Mrs. Bruner was an occupant in a 2003 Jeep Wrangler with seatbelts designed and manufactured by Key Safety Systems. She died after she was ejected from the front passenger seat during a rollover crash on Sept. 23, 2007, even though she correctly wore her seatbelt. Her ejection from the Jeep Wrangler was possible because the seatbelt failed and came unlocked during the rollover. The seatbelt system was shown to be extremely dangerous because it tends to unlock during rollover crashes. This safety defect put the public at risk and would have been prevented if Key Safety Systems had installed a web sensor on the seatbelt retractor. A web sensor is a redundant safety feature that assures the belt stays locked. Virtually every vehicle in the 2003 model year used a web sensor seatbelt. The jury was shocked to discover that even the 2003 Jeep Wrangler had a web sensor four feet away from Mrs. Bruner on the driver’s seatbelt. Because of the web sensor, the driver survived this rollover with minor injuries. This was an extremely important verdict in the automotive industry because the verdict rendered was against a component level manufacturer (Key Safety Systems) rather than the automobile manufacturer.
