Koua Fong Lee was jailed in 2007 after he lost control of his 1996 Toyota Camry. His vehicle sped up an interstate ramp smashing into an Oldsmobile and killing three people.

Lee, a recent Hmong immigrant with only about a year of driving experience, was driving his pregnant wife, four year old daughter, father and brother home from church the afternoon of June 10, 2006, when their Camry sped up an Interstate exit ramp. Lee has insisted that he had done everything he could to stop the car, but he just couldn't gain control. When a city mechanic testified the brakes worked fine the prosecutor concluded Lee must have hit the gas by mistake. The jury did not believe Lee's story and sentenced him to eight years in prison.

Lee’s Camry wasn’t included in Toyota’s recent safety recalls, but Toyota did recall some 1996 Camrys for defective cruise controls that could cause sudden acceleration. Lee's lawyers are pushing to reopen the case and for an inspection of the car, which still sits at the St. Paul police impoundment lot. Bob Hilliard, a Texas attorney who is preparing a lawsuit by the victims in the Lee crash said he’s aware of about 16 potential class-action cases filed around the country on the basis of the automaker’s recent recalls.

Attorneys for the victims’ family declined to comment, but Hilliard said they feel differently about Lee now. “They seem to have made peace with the fact that he’s telling the truth,” Hilliard said. Lee said he’s grateful. “I feel like them believing in me is a gift that I’ve received from God.”