Massachusetts driver Jose Casiano loses life while operating a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

July 11, 2026 - Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, and the operator of a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse face legal action following the death of Massachusetts driver Jose Casiano in his 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

His wife Michelle Bedard filed the suit, which claims the crash and resulting fatality would have been avoided absent defects in both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevy Traverse.

On June 22, 2023, Jose Casiano was traveling in the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee around 2:00 p.m. along Route 24 in Berkley, Massachusetts. In stop-and-go conditions and secured by his seat belt, the vehicle was struck from behind by a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse driven by Alexandra Borges.

The complaint omits specifics such as the Traverse speed, yet the rear-end impact reportedly caused Casiano's seat to fold backward into the rear seats of the Grand Cherokee.

The wrongful death suit states the Jeep airbag did not activate and the rear seats failed to cushion crash forces, resulting in Mr. Casiano's death.

The plaintiff alleges the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee suffered from defective design at the time of sale, while also asserting defects in the Chevrolet Traverse that struck it.

The suit describes the 2016 Chevy Traverse as defective and unreasonably dangerous due to the absence of certain driver-assistance technologies not mandated for that model year.

Plaintiff Michelle Bedard holds GM responsible for her husband's death because the Traverse lacked automatic emergency braking and forward collision alert systems.

The complaint argues that all Chevy Traverse models should have included these features, rendering vehicles without them defective.

According to the plaintiff: "GM knew or should have known of the defective and unreasonably dangerous nature and condition of the subject vehicle and/or its component parts including but not limited to the failure to install a working emergency braking system."

The suit additionally names Traverse driver Alexandra Borges as a defendant.

The Jose Casiano wrongful death case was filed in Plymouth County Massachusetts Superior Court: Michelle Bedard v. FCA US, LLC, et al.