The family of a San Antonio man who died days after buying a used Ford Mustang has sued the Northwest Side dealership that sold it to him, alleging an exhaust defect caused the fatal carbon monoxide poisoning.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit alleges A Motors Sales & Finance\u00a0LLC<\/a>\u00a0 failed to identify or disclose a defective exhaust system that allowed lethal levels of carbon monoxide to enter the vehicle\u2019s cabin, killing 20-year-old Jesus Marines and seriously injuring his girlfriend, Maria Fernanda Ortiz.<\/p>\n The suit was filed by his father, Gonzalo Marines, individually and on behalf of his son\u2019s estate; his mother, Maria del Rosario Vasquez; and Ortiz. The complaint seeks more than $1 million in damages.<\/p>\n A Motors Sales representative declined to comment on the lawsuit.<\/p>\n Jesus Marines bought the 2020 Mustang on Jan. 17 from A Motors Sales\u2019 location at Northwest Loop 1604 and Braun Road for about $36,000, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were all excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nine days later, around 8:30\u00a0p.m., he and Ortiz drove to Comanche Lookout Park<\/a>. With temperatures in the mid-20s, they sat in the idling car and were overcome by carbon monoxide.<\/p>\n A San Antonio police officer\u00a0found the pair unconscious about 1 a.m. Jan. 27. The lawsuit says investigators detected carbon monoxide levels inside the vehicle that exceeded the maximum reading on their testing equipment.<\/p>\n Marines died, while Ortiz survived after being hospitalized, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n Ortiz regained consciousness two days later at Brooke Army Medical Center<\/a>, where she underwent hyperbaric oxygen treatment, the complaint adds.<\/p>\n Marines was attending St. Philip\u2019s College<\/a> and working for a landscaping company while saving to buy his first car, Gonzalez said. Marines and Ortiz were celebrating their nine-month anniversary the night they went to the park.<\/p>\n St. Philip\u2019s posthumously awarded Marines an associate degree<\/a> in applied science.<\/p>\n Gonzalez said experts hired by the plaintiffs found the Mustang was missing its catalytic converter, which he contends allowed carbon monoxide to enter the cabin.<\/p>\n Gonzalez said the Mustang\u2019s previous owner denied modifying the vehicle.<\/p>\n