North St. Louis County woman's death linked to faulty ignition switch on GM vehicles

ST. PETERS Its taken five years, but now Larry Sachse believes he has a good idea about what killed his 81-year-old mother.

On Feb. 4, 2009, around noon, Marie Sachse was driving her 2004 Saturn Ion home from a casino, when she inexplicably veered off Highway 67, striking a tree. Sachse died that night from internal injuries.

The details of the wreck match those outlined on Tuesday by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., as one of at least 13 fatalities linked to a faulty ignition switch on millions of General Motors vehicles.

McCaskill did not name the victim, but the accidents specifics, gleaned from GM and the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration, left little doubt in the minds of Marie Sachses children.

Everything was the same, said Larry Sachse, a retired electrician who lives in St. Peters. Thats when we put two and two together.

Now he finds himself at the center of one of the most significant safety crises in the history of U.S. auto manufacturing.

Sachse said he hoped the scrutiny of GM would provide a clearer picture of the cause of the accident that has puzzled the family for five years.

Marie Sachse liked to play the slots, and the path from the casino to her home in north St. Louis County was one she knew well. The roads were dry. So what would have caused her to drive off the highway? And why didnt her air bags deploy?

It didnt make any sense to me whatsoever, said Lisa Warfield, Marie Sachses daughter, who lives in Atlanta. She wasnt sick. She was healthy.

Sachses children retained lawyer James M. Dowd, who has an office in Webster Groves. Dowd hired Chris Caruso, an automotive safety consultant, who spent years working on GM air bags, Dowd said.

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North St. Louis County woman's death linked to faulty ignition switch on GM vehicles