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Woman Trapped for Six Days in Chevrolet Malibu Sues GM over Electronic Stability Control

Last year in May, General Motors had informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of five safety recalls covering about 2.7 million vehicles in the United States. This does not relate to the massive hit that was the company’s ignition switch scandal we all know of. A 2009 Chevrolet Malibu owner who lost her legs in a fiery crash back in April 2014 is now suing the company over defects the carmaker cited in recalls and that she directly links to the accident.
Kristin Hopkins spent more than two months in a hospital following a near-fatal crash 1 photo
Photo: www.independent.co.uk
It seems that more bad news are heading towards the American carmaker, which has been experiencing some of its worst years, with millions of cars recalled over several problems. According to the Denver Post, Kristin Hopkins spent more than two months in a hospital following a near-fatal crash that left her crushed and trapped upside down in her car for nearly a week.

Things get a lot worse, considering that, ironically, she received the recall notice for her 2009 Chevrolet Malibu while she was still in rehab, recuperating and trying to learn how to use her new prostheses. Unfortunately, her legs had been amputated at the knee, and the convalescence had lasted for several months. Moreover, because of her medical condition, her four kids moved with her ex-husband.

Last year, Hopkins’ dramatic crash made the headlines, as she was trapped inside her car for six days after losing control and rolling 300 feet (90 meters) down a mountainside. According to the source, on Tuesday, Hopkins filed a lawsuit against the automaker in federal court claiming that her car’s electronic stability control “failed to engage” and the car’s electronic power steering “gave out” on Red Hill Pass on April 27, 2014.

Although the car was fitted with the crash avoidance systems, she was deprived of them when she needed them most. Things get even more severe, as the lawsuit claims that based on documents GM provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company first learned of the problem with the electronic stability control on the Malibu in 2008, approximately six years before the accident happened.
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