The much beleaguered Takata Corporation is not finding things getting easier for them. Embroiled in lawsuits that have forced the company to declare bankruptcy, there might be one more wrongful death lawsuit coming. The LA Times reports on another death blamed on the faulty airbag inflators.
The crash occurred on July 9th in Holiday, Florida, which is near Tampa. According to Honda, local authorities are still investigating the crash and have not yet announced a cause of death.
The driver, who has not been identified, was driving a 2002 Honda Accord when the crash occurred. The driver’s side air bag inflator ruptured.
If the airbag is determined to be the cause of death, it would be the 19th death worldwide and the 13th in the United States that has been blamed on the faulty inflators.
The inflators made by Takata can deploy with too much force, sending shrapnel into the passenger cabin. The defective inflators are part of the biggest automotive recall in United States history. So far, 42 million vehicles and 69 million inflators have been involved in the recall. Worldwide, more than 100 million automobiles have been recalled.
In a statement released by Honda, they say that they mailed 21 notices to the owners of the Accord involved in the fatal Holiday, Florida crash going back to 2011. 10 of those notices were sent to the current registered owner of the vehicle. Although Honda says it has the parts to repair the vehicle, the recall repair had not been made according to company records.
Honda urges owners of recalled vehicles to bring the car in for repairs as soon as possible. Older vehicles, particularly those from model years 2001 to 2003 are at greater risk of killing people.
Have you been injured by a Takata airbag inflator? Let the attorneys at the law offices of John Foy & Associates fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Call us today.