DENVER — A woman who was trapped in her car for nearly a week after crashing off a Colorado highway is suing General Motors over alleged defects in her 2009 Chevy Malibu that she says contributed to the crash.
Kristin Hopkins, who lost the lower half of her legs in the crash, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday contending her car's electronic stability control failed to engage and its electronic power steering gave out on April 27, 2014.
Hopkins's lawyer Kurt Zaner told the Denver Post that both systems were covered in recalls issued by GM after the crash. Citing documents GM provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the lawsuit says the company first learned about the problem with the stability control on the Malibu in 2008, six years before the crash.
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''These are real lives being affected by corporate decisions,'' he said.
GM would not specifically comment on the claims but issued a statement saying it would investigate the matter.