Airbag Deaths

At least 10 airbag deaths due to defective Takata airbag products have happened in the United States. These Takata airbag fatalities have prompted massive airbag recalls as well as defective airbag lawsuits. The Willis Law Firm can provide your family with an airbag legal action.

Also, beyond people being killed by exploding Takata airbags, well over 100 serious airbag injuries have occurred because of the defective products.

Victims Looked Like They’d Been Shot

Some airbag victims have looked like they’d been shot, according to law officers investigating such collisions. The problem is that defective Takata airbags can explode with excessive force even in a minor impact, sending shards of shrapnel through a vehicle which can strike drivers and passengers.

According to a CNN News report, police arriving at a minor collision scene in Alhambra, CA in September of 2013 at first thought that the driver, Hai Ming Xu, had been shot in the face.

About a year later, Orlando Police investigating a similar, minor collision at first believed the driver, Hien Thi Tran, had been stabbed, with the stabbing then causing the crash.

Only later after autopsies had been performed was it determined that each driver was killed by a Takata airbag which deployed with excessive explosive force — even in the minor impacts. This explosive deployment can hurl sharp pieces of metal or plastic into the vehicle’s passenger compartment.

Airbag Deaths Timeline

Such airbag deaths have been reported since at least 2009. Though defective Takata airbags may have been used as early as 2000, an airbag deaths timeline starts in the year 2009:

  • In 2009, Ashley Parkham was killed in an accident in Midwest City, OK.
  • On Christmas Eve of 2009, Gurjit Rathore was killed in an accident in Richmond, VA.
  • In September of 2013, Hai Ming Xu was killed in a minor crash in Alhambra, CA.
  • In 2014, Hien Thi Tran was killed in a minor collision in Orlando, FLA.
  • On Jan. 25, 2015, Carlos Solis, 35, of Houston was killed in a minor collision in Spring, Texas, when the Takata airbag on his 2002 Honda Accord exploded with excessive force.

These are some but not all of the airbag deaths associated with defective Takata airbags. Also, serious injuries have occurred among victims who survived such accidents. According to the Center for Auto Safety, at least two persons suffered permanent damage to their eyesight when metal pieces from airbag deployment equipment lodged in their eyes.

Airbag Recalls

Such serious airbag injuries and fatalities have prompted massive airbag recalls throughout the auto industry. As of early 2016, it’s believed that more than 30 million vehicles have been recalled, in the most massive consumer product recall in United States history.

Takata for years denied any accountability, insisting its airbags were not defective or dangerous. But in May of 2015 Takata finally relented and admitted its airbags were defective.

Vehicles Affected by Airbag Recalls

The airbag recalls have been made by a wide variety of auto manufacturers. They include:

  • Honda
  • Toyota
  • Nissan
  • Saab
  • Audi
  • Mazda
  • BMW
  • Volkswagen
  • Ford
  • Chrysler

Owners of vehicles who have not received a recall notice can check to see if their vehicle is part of a Takata airbag recall by entering their VIN, or vehicle identification number, at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/.

Takata Airbag Lawsuit

If your family has suffered a Takata airbag death or injury, you may need a Takata airbag lawsuit, which can be provided by the Willis Law Firm. Our firm has decades of experience helping families in injury cases such as this.

In fact, when you contact us, we’ll provide you with free legal advice in the form of a free case evaluation. Then you can make the decision on whether you want to proceed with a Takata airbag lawsuit.

Such a lawsuit can claim financial compensation for your family’s costs due to a defective Takata airbag. These costs can include but are not limited to payments for your pain, suffering, mental anguish, lost wages and medical expenses.

Notify the Willis Law Firm today about your defective airbag case, and get results.