George and Maureen's lives ended when their 2002 Camry
flew from a parking garage upper floor, accelerating instead of simply stopping.
This happened before anyone knew what would later transpire with the Camry.
George was blamed.
A plunge off a parking garage
Place: Las Vegas
Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Deceased: George Yago, 83, and Maureen Yago, 79
Vehicle: 2002 Toyota Camry (not recalled)
Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Deceased: George Yago, 83, and Maureen Yago, 79
Vehicle: 2002 Toyota Camry (not recalled)
Details: George Yago was attempting to park his car on the fourth floor of a casino parking lot when the car accelerated off the side of the parking deck and fell to the ground. He and his wife of 49 years died, and the crash left their only son wondering whether his father had suffered from a heart attack moments before the crash.
According to newspaper reports, witnesses saw the Camry stop, then accelerate. It jumped a curb and then plowed through a wall. It landed on its roof.
The son, George Yago III, did not respond to requests for an interview. But he filed a complaint about his parents' car with NHTSA in April 2004, just a few months after his parents' crash, and years before the recalls.