The Takata airbag recall is the largest recall in the history of automotive recalls. Several million vehicles worldwide have been affected by the recall. The airbags, which can explode with too much force, are responsible for nearly two dozen deaths worldwide as well as hundreds of injuries. Recently, Honda announced that it was recalling some 1.4 million more vehicles, some of them being the company’s Acura models. Unfortunately, those recalls came too late for one Puerto Rican man, who is now suing the company for injuries caused to him by an exploding airbag, as Auto Body News reports.
According to the lawsuit, Juan Carlos Veras-Rodriguez was driving a 2002 Acura 3.2 TL on September 6, 2017, when the Acura lightly bumped another car in the front.
The collision, which was not serious in itself, caused the Takata airbag to deploy, sending shrapnel flying, which struck Veras-Rodriguez in the face, neck, and chest. The shrapnel caused lacerations, which, according to the lawsuit, left the plaintiff “mutilated and scarred.”
Veras-Rodriguez says that the scarring has impacted his self-confidence and sense of security.
The lawsuit further alleges that Veras-Rodriguez would not be in this condition had the Acura not been fitted with the dangerous Takata airbags.
In addition, the lawsuit claims that Veras-Rodriguez did not begin receiving notices about the recall until about a month after his accident. The recall notices said that the Takata airbags could be deployed even in minor accidents, such as the one that Veras-Rodriguez was involved in.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and is against American Honda Motor Company, et al.
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