Sommers Schwartz Attorney Files Lawsuit Charging DaimlerChrysler in Death of Famed Croatian Actress
Business Editors/Legal, Automotive & Entertainment WritersNOTE TO MEDIA: Multimedia assets available
DETROIT--Sept. 20, 2002--When stunningly beautiful Ena Begovic died two years ago in a rollover accident on the resort island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea, the nation of Croatia went into mourning for one of its greatest actresses.
Her death is now back in the spotlight. Trial lawyer B.A. Tyler, a partner at Southfield-based Sommers, Schwartz, Silver & Schwartz, P.C., Michigan's largest plaintiff's law firm, has filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court (Case. No. 02228401NP, the Hon. John Murphy) against DaimlerChrysler Corporation, manufacturer of the Jeep Grand Cherokee involved in the accident.
The suit was filed on behalf of her family -- her husband, Croatian businessman Josip Radeljak; her mother, Tereza Begovic; her stepson, Leo Radeljak; and her daughter, Lana, to whom she had given birth just six weeks prior to the accident -- who were in the Grand Cherokee when it rolled over.
Only 40 years old when she died, Ms. Begovic won a dozen Best Actress awards and prizes over her 17 years in theater, films, and television. She appeared in 45 plays, mostly with the Croatian National Theater, in roles ranging from Desdemona in "Othello," Gertrude in "Hamlet," and Goneril in "King Lear," to Antigone and Medea in "Antigone" and "Medea," and to Hedda in "Hedda Gabler" and Julie in "Miss Julie." She also appeared in more than 20 films and TV plays.
Tyler, who has won numerous million-dollar verdicts for his clients, said his investigation indicated that the Grand Cherokee contained a defect that caused it to shift from Park to Reverse, travel down a slope -- even with the handbrake engaged -- and overturn, causing Ms. Begovic's death and injuries to the Jeep's other occupants.
"The defect was known to Chrysler for years as a result of more than 74,000 warranty claims, hundreds of complaints, and hundreds of crashes with injuries and fatalities," Tyler said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an official investigation in 2001 that resulted in DaimlerChrysler having to recall almost 2 million Grand Cherokees earlier in February.
Tyler's investigation took him to Croatia, where a foundation honoring the gifted actress has been established to provide scholarships to graduates and postgraduates of the Drama Academy of Zagreb University, her alma mater. The foundation has received support from the Academy, the Department of Culture of the City of Zagreb, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.
NOTE: To arrange one-on-one interviews with Mr. Tyler, contact Gabe Werba (313/961-8899, werba@ddwpr.com) or David Adrian (313/961-5508, adrian@ddwpr.com) at Durocher Dixson Werba, LLC.
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