On June 22, 2013, Dany Dubuc-Marquis was driving a Chevrolet Cobalt, like many of the other GM victims whose stories we have brought to you on our blog. His car was a 2007 model. He was driving on Highway 139 in the dark pre-dawn hours near Rotox Pond, in Quebec, Canada. He was approximately twenty minutes from home when he began traveling along a curve in the roadway. He suddenly lost control of his vehicle, flew of the road, and hit multiple trees. Dany Dubuc-Marquis died shortly after impact.
An investigation by Canadian officials revealed that the ignition switch was not in the on position during the car accident. Meaning that Dany could not control the vehicle as the curve in the roadway came upon him, and the lifesaving airbags failed to deploy. The ignition switch had moved to the accessory position, which only provides power to the windows, radio, and lights. It has been reported that Dany was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident, but GM eventually agreed to include his death in its official count.
Dany’s father, Normand Dubuc explained how he tried to cope after his son’s death. He shared that Dany was a camp counselor who was working his way through college. Shortly before his death he made a final decision about his career path. He wanted to become a special education teacher to continue enriching the lives of children. Dany also had plans for a trip with his college class to Belgium for an internship. It was a trip that his father felt compelled to see through in his son place, and Mr. Dubuc ultimately decided to travel abroad with Dany’s class. He said “I went to replace my son, who wasn’t there. I had to go.” In spite of his difficult mourning process, Mr. Dubuc also shares that he will not back down from his fight against GM. He believes that there may be other Canadian citizens who have fallen victims to GM’s defective ignition switch and cover up. He says, “I’m not finished,” in his fight to rid Canada of potentially fatal GM vehicles and to expose the stories of other victims.
Like Mr. Dubuc, our firm also will never give up the fight to rid our nation of potentially hazardous and defective products. The GM recall was just the beginning, and many more stories will likely come to light now that the defect has been exposed. Our firm handles product liability and product defect cases of all kind. If you believe that you may have been hurt by a defective vehicle, a defective product, or by someone’s negligent conduct, please call and speak directly to one of our attorneys at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, and Siegel, P.C.