A recently settled court case the USA has bring home starkly the dangers of cutting corners in vehicle repair in order to meet insurance company cost reduction expectations.

The case centres around the ordeal of Matthew and Marcia Seebachan. The couple suffered serious injuries when they were trapped inside their burning Honda Fit after it had been hit by another vehicle. After a 3 year legal dispute a Dallas County civil jury found John Eagle Collision Repair, who had previously repaired the Honda, were liable for 75% of the Seebachans $42 million damages awarded. This means the repairer is liable for $31.5 million.

In court an expert said the use of adhesive instead of welding as recommended in Honda’s OEM repair procedures had compromised the roof’s ability to manage collision energy leading to a more severe collision. Representative for John Eagle said the repair in question had only taken place on the insistence of the couple’s insurance company because it was more cost effective.

The lawyer for the couple has also now filed a related lawsuit against State Farm Mutual Insurance alleging the insurance company bullied John Eagle into using the lower-cost approach. He said has also said this practice is widespread with other insurers pressuring bodyshops to cut corners and in so doing compromising safety.  This lawsuit seeks only $1 in damages, just to highlight the issue.

In a further move lawyer Todd Tracy and John Eagle released a joint statement agreeing to work together "to improve safety standards in the nation's collision repair industry."

In the current environment in the Irish accident repair industry it is not inconceivable that a similar case could happen. This provides a prime example of the importance of strictly following manufacturer recommended repair methods and not cutting corners just to keep repair costs down.