James Sikes was taking an afternoon drive on a San Diego County freeway yesterday in his Toyota Prius when things suddenly became dangerous. Sikes said that he pressed his gas pedal to accelerate while passing another car and the car just kept going. As has been reported over the past few months with a great deal of Toyota vehicles, Sikes experienced a case of sudden unintended acceleration that pushed his Prius to 94 mph.
Luckily, the 61-year old driver remained calm, calling 911 around 1:30 p.m. A patrol car caught up to Sikes as he was trying desperately to brake his car, admitting that as the car kept accelerating he could smell his brakes grinding against the tires. The officer in the patrol car told Sikes to press his brakes as hard as he could and then use the emergency brake as a final measure. During this process, the officer led Sikes to an uphill section of road and he eventually got his Prius down to 50 mph, at which point he cut off the engines.
The officer pulled in front of the now powerless Prius and helped roll Sikes to a stop with no injuries. Toyota has responded to this particular incident by sending a specialist to examine the automobile and investigate the situation.
Since October 2009, Toyota has launched a variety of global recalls – including two of the largest recalls in the company’s and industry history – that involve nearly 9 million vehicles and at least nine of Toyota’s top-selling models. Toyota is the world’s leading automobile manufacturer, however the recall involves its top-selling sedan models in the Camry and Corolla, as well as the top-selling hybrid in the Prius.
If you or a loved one owns one of the affected Toyota models and have experienced problems with sudden unintended acceleration or stuck accelerators, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with automobile recalls. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.