Takata airbags are at the center of a world-wide vehicle recall. The airbags, which can spew shrapnel into the cabin of a car when they explode, have caused several injuries and a few fatalities. The company has begun to settle lawsuits filed by the families of those who have been injured or have died as a result of the defective product.
On Friday, July 15, Takata settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a victim of one of their malfunctioning airbags. The lawsuit had been closely watched by those in the industry.
The announcement of the settlement came just before a hearing in which a Jacksonville, Florida judge could have ordered the CEO, Shigehisa Takada, to testify.
The company has settled many previous lawsuits and is keen to keep Takada, the grandson of the founder, from testifying in court.
The victim in the crash, Patricia Mincey, was paralyzed from the neck down after the Takata airbag in her 2001 inflated during a crash. Ms. Mincey alleged in her lawsuit, filed a year later, that Takata had knowingly designed and manufactured the defective airbags. She recently passed in April due to complications from her paralysis.
Neither side would disclose the amount of the settlement.
In the case of Ms. Mincey, the airbag did not rupture and send shrapnel flying. It instead deployed forcefully, resulting in Ms. Mincey’s spine being crushed. For this reason, Takata had been delaying in settling the lawsuit.
If you or a family member has received injuries from a defective Takata airbag, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the law offices of John Foy & Associates. Let the “Strong Arm” attorneys fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact us today.