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Crash Test Video Compares Performance of Aftermarket Parts and Non OEM Glued Roof Repair To Original Vehicle
This synchronized crash test video recorded from different camera angles shows the devastating injuries caused by aftermarket parts and a non OEM glued roof repair in comparison to minor injuries in an original Honda Fit 5-Door Hatchback.
Vehicle Safety Lawyer Todd Tracy of Dallas launched the test in the wake a Dallas County Jury returning a $42 Million damage verdict in a case in which a major collision repair center did not follow Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) repair standards.
The collision repair center replaced a hail damaged metal roof panel on a 2010 Honda Fit by using adhesive glue instead of the 108 welds prescribed by Honda. When the Marcia and Matthew Seebachan were in an accident later, the vehicle’s safety systems failed to protect them because the glued roof was not crashworthy. The young couple was crushed and burned in an accident that previous crash tests indicated they should have walked away from.
The manager of the body shop testified that, “…we’re guided by insurance. So if you brought your car into my shop, right, the insurance company is going to dictate what–how we’re going to repair your car.” He went on to acknowledge that State Farm Insurance can trump the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specifications, “by not paying the bill”. The defense attorney for the collision center’s liability insurance carrier argued that the company had made a “business decision” and followed an industry trend by using glue.
Following the record high verdict, members of the jury said that the collision center made the “wrong business decision” and now had to pay for the life crippling harm inflicted on the accident victims.
Afterwards, the Tracy Law Firm began receiving hundreds of complaints that the collision repair industry was being coerced into using cheap aftermarket parts and into making shoddy repairs to reduce the cost of insurance claims. Insurance company representatives were telling the industry that they knew what was best. In effect, for years auto insurance industry has been claiming it knows more about the safety of vehicle systems than the very manufacturer’s that make cars and trucks.
Yet, we found no credible evidence that the insurance industry has ever conducted scientific crash tests to support their demands.
We have heard story after story from the owners of collision repair industry of car insurance carriers bullying them and threatening to put them out of business by steering policy holders to preferred body shops.
So the Tracy Law Firm with the assistance of the Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT) and its industry allies, put the insurance bullies to the test.
Crash Test Video
The comparison video above shows the dramatic differences in the ability of the vehicle equipped with aftermarket parts and the vehicle outfitted with a non OEM glued roof repair to protect occupants. The crash test dummies in those two vehicles sustained deadly and life crippling injuries. Todd Tracy walks viewers through the causes of the injuries in the following two videos: the crash test’s effect on the performance of the safety restraint systems and the crash test’s effect on the severity of injuries.
Whether you are a consumer or a collision repair business concerned about the safety of its customers, it is imperative that you fight the insurance adjuster and insist on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts and fix the damage according to OEM repair specifications.
Lives are in your hands. Unfortunately the Seebachan’s are living proof of the horrible impact of being bullied by auto insurance companies into making shoddy repairs.
One Response
Thank you for all you do! It has brought awareness. We are currently trying to update an obsolete A/M bill that was written back in 1997. And you should Geico, SF, LKQ corp and OUR own Commissioner oppose the bill, all regarding money.
Our commissioner is the worse one, he wants the manufacturers to take the sensors out of the bmprs and put it somewhere, where, no one knows.
Thank you TODD!