G.M. Pays $2.5 million In Van Roll Over Suit

10/02/96

General Motors has paid $2.5 million to the estates of two children who died in a 1986 Chevrolet van rollover accident. The van's steel roof had been replaced with an aftermarket fiberglass shell which detached during the roll over. A South Carolina jury awarded $41.5 million each to the estates of Candy Wright, 11 and Debrielle Williamson, 11 months old who died in the accident in Rocky Mount, N.C. However, the jury awarded no damages to the estates of three adults who also died in the accident. The accident occured when the 16 year old driver in the vehicle carrying eight people fell asleep and lost control. The court maintains that GM should have warned the vehicle's owner about how unsafe an aftermarket conversion could be.

Bill Maloney -- The Auto Channel