Family Considers Lawsuit Blaming Seat Belt for Daughter's Death in Vermont Crash
By Jim Greene
Published on February 27, 2006
Stella Livanis, 16, was killed when she was ejected from her 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee as it rolled over several times after leaving the roadway. A police report said she was traveling 72 mph in a 45-mph zone while racing with friends and that there was no way to know if she was wearing a seat belt.
Steve Livanis, Stella's father, said police told the family that they were sure she was wearing a seat belt. He has hired a lawyer to advise them about possibly filing a lawsuit alleging the failure of a Generation 3 seat belt, used on DaimlerChrysler vehicles from 1993 to 2002, caused his daughter's death.
A passenger in the SUV, India Martin, then 17, received serious injuries, including two shattered legs. Police said Martin's seat belt remained latched and that she could not remember if Livanis' belt was latched.
The police report said Livanis and some of her friends met with the purpose of racing, and that she lost control while passing a Honda Civic driven by a 16-year-old friend, who was arrested seven months later while driving at 105 mph.
Failure of the Generation 3 has been claimed in several lawsuits.
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