Toyota pays compensation to fatal Lexus crash family

Toyota has paid $10m (£6.47m) to the family of four people killed in a runaway Lexus car in the US in 2009.

The amount, agreed in September but kept confidential, was released by a lawyer for the dealership that lent the Lexus to the family, reports the BBC today.

Toyota, which did not admit or deny liability in the settlement, said in a statement it was disappointed the amount had been made public.

The crash triggered recalls involving millions of Toyota models.

The accident which killed off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor (45), his wife, their daughter and Mr Saylor's brother-in-law happened in August 2009.

They were killed when their car accelerated to over 120 mph (190km/h), leading it to collide with another vehicle and crash off an embankment, eventually bursting into flames.

Investigators discovered that a faulty floormat trapped the accelerator and caused the crash.

Toyota recalled millions of cars after the accident to replace their floor mats.