CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Tennessee resident is suing Kia Motors after an alleged defect in the driver's seat caused the seat to collapse during a crash and left him paralyzed.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, June 7, Rickey and Dorathea Rye bought the 2022 Kia Sorrento just about a month before the crash. The couple said they purchased the car from an authorized Kia dealership in Tennessee.
On July 16, 2023, Rickey was driving the vehicle and Dorathea was riding in the front passenger seat. They were fully stopped at a red light at the intersection of North Riverside Drive and College Street in Clarksville when another car struck them from behind.
Their attorneys said both Rickey and Dorathea were properly wearing their seatbelts at the time. However, upon impact, the driver's seat malfunctioned and collapsed, leaving Rickey with a "catastrophic spinal cord injury," according to the lawsuit.
Rickey remains permanently paralyzed to this day, his attorneys said. The lawsuit asserts that the "unreasonably dangerous condition" of the vehicle and driver's seat was present at the time the car was designed, manufactured and sold to Rickey and his wife.
As a result, Rickey is asking for $100 million for all the injuries and damages he sustained. His grounds for suing include strict liability, negligence and loss of consortium, with the lawsuit stating that Rickey's injuries have had a negative impact on his marriage.
The lawsuit also alleges that the company violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act by representing that the Kia Sorrento complied with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards when it did not.
The couple has requested a trial by jury. News 2 reached out to Kia regarding the allegations in the lawsuit. However, the company declined to comment, stating that "it is the policy of Kia America to offer 'no comment' on pending or current litigation."
The company has been at the center of multiple lawsuits lately. A Nashville man also recently filed a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai after his car was stolen in Memphis last June. The suit claims that Hyundai and Kia “failed to equip vehicles with appropriate anti-theft protection.”