Date: March 14, 2004
Victim: Ethyl Marlene Foster
Location: Phoenix, Ore.
Model: 2004 Toyota Camry
Details: As was routine, Ethyl Marlene Foster, 67, was picked up at her home by a friend for church.
The two noticed that the car's gears stuck when the driver shifted from park into reverse. But it wasn't until the shift to drive that the car accelerated uncontrollably, plowing into a mobile home nearby, according to a complaint filed by relatives with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Camry crashed into the double-wide mobile home with such impact that it moved the structure a foot, according to the complaint. The accident injured the driver, and killed Foster, who was crushed by the impact.
Foster's relatives contacted Toyota after the 2004 accident but the company declined to speak with them, according to the complaint.
Clarence Foster, the victim's husband of 48 years, said he was suicidal and "numb" for years after the crash. Thouh the 2004 Camry in not included in Toyota's recent recalls, the family alleges that a defect in the car was to blame for the accident and is taking legal action against the carmaker, he said.
In addition to her husband, Foster is survived by four daughters, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
-- Stuart Pfeifer, Carol J. Williams and Robert Faturechi
Victim: Ethyl Marlene Foster
Location: Phoenix, Ore.
Model: 2004 Toyota Camry
Details: As was routine, Ethyl Marlene Foster, 67, was picked up at her home by a friend for church.
The two noticed that the car's gears stuck when the driver shifted from park into reverse. But it wasn't until the shift to drive that the car accelerated uncontrollably, plowing into a mobile home nearby, according to a complaint filed by relatives with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Camry crashed into the double-wide mobile home with such impact that it moved the structure a foot, according to the complaint. The accident injured the driver, and killed Foster, who was crushed by the impact.
Foster's relatives contacted Toyota after the 2004 accident but the company declined to speak with them, according to the complaint.
Clarence Foster, the victim's husband of 48 years, said he was suicidal and "numb" for years after the crash. Thouh the 2004 Camry in not included in Toyota's recent recalls, the family alleges that a defect in the car was to blame for the accident and is taking legal action against the carmaker, he said.
In addition to her husband, Foster is survived by four daughters, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
-- Stuart Pfeifer, Carol J. Williams and Robert Faturechi