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A look at seven victims
By RICK MONTGOMERY The Kansas City StarNames: Hilton Thompson, 79, and Pansy Evans, 85
Hometown: Ellsinore, Mo.
Date of crash: Sept. 3, 2004
The wreck: The siblings not wearing seat belts died in a newly purchased 2004 Cadillac Coupe de Ville that ran off a county road before striking an embankment and large rock head-on. The front wheel assembly, struts and bumper were destroyed, and the radiator support was shoved rearward. Crash-data analysis showed the first impact slowed the car by 37 mph in a second. They are buried next to each other.
What automaker says: GM declined to comment.
Name: Holly L. Martin, 20
Hometown: Westport, Mass.
Date of crash: March 14, 2004
The wreck: Leaving a fundraiser for someone hurt in a traffic accident, she belted herself into the front-passenger seat of a 2000 Nissan Altima carrying three others, including the 18-year-old driver. He lost control and struck a clump of trees. The front occupants were thrown into the dashboard. A federal database recorded the accident as a front-end crash.
What automaker says: Most of the damage was to the Altima’s side, and front airbags are not designed to deploy on side impacts.
Name: Ruby Butler Hawkins (photo not available), 48 Hometown: Colquitt, Ga.
Date of crash: June 15, 2001
The wreck: Driving a 1999 Kia Sephia, she was taking her granddaughter to a doctor’s visit when a motorist swerved and struck Hawkins’ vehicle head-on. She died two weeks later of blunt chest and abdominal injuries.
What automaker says: Answering a lawsuit, Kia stated the car “was not defective in any respect” but may have been misused or abused. The lawsuit led to a settlement.
Name: Phillip A. Howell, 40 Hometown: Marcellus, N.Y.
Date of crash: Oct. 27, 2001
The wreck: He was heading to work on a slick highway when a young, oncoming driver swerved into Howell’s lane, meeting his 2000 Chevrolet Silverado head-on. He left behind a wife and three children.
What automaker says: GM declined to comment.
Name: Bonnie Boyd, 65
Hometown: Joplin, Mo.
Date of crash: June 23, 2002
The wreck: When her son suddenly fell ill behind the wheel of a 1999 Dodge Ram, the truck sped into a parked car and knocked down a restaurant sign. Though she was in her seat belt, Boyd’s head struck a cab grip inches above the nondeployed airbag.
What automaker says: No legal action or crash reconstruction followed, leaving too little information for Chrysler to comment on whether the airbags failed.
Name: Lynda Guyton, 65
Hometown: Graniteville, S.C.
Date of crash: March 1, 2004
The wreck: Sensor in a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria allegedly failed to detect Guyton in the passenger seat during a violent, frontal crash in South Carolina. Guyton died several days later. Her son sued Ford.
What automaker says: The car was “state of the art” and met all regulations. Ford settled the lawsuit but says settlements are not an admission of wrongdoing.