Virginia Woman Paralyzed in Miata Car Crash Awarded $20M

A jury has awarded $20 million to a woman who sued Mazda Motor Corp. after her convertible sports car crashed and left her paralyzed.

The Roanoke Circuit Court jury reached its decision in the product liability lawsuit Wednesday night.

The Roanoke Times reports 35-year-old Shannon Walters testified she swerved to avoid a plastic swimming pool that slid out of the bed of a pickup truck in June 2006 in Bedford County. Her Mazda Miata overturned onto its roof.

Walters’ lawsuit claims the Miata had a defective design – that a latch system supposed to hold the windshield to the convertible canvas top failed when the car overturned. The windshield collapsed onto her.

Mazda spokesman Eric Booth says the company maintains the design wasn’t defective. Mazda is considering an appeal.