Another Car Crash Death Related to Takata Corporation Airbag Recall
Car crash death linked to recall
The recent car crash death linked to Japanese manufacturer Takata’s defective airbags has re-ignited the fury of the automotive industry. The evolving recall has affected more than 34 million vehicles in the U.S. across nearly two dozen brands as of this month. This is the 11th death associated with the defect; the deceased is Delia Robles of Corona, California. She was the owner of the 2001 Honda Civic whose driver side airbag inflator had been part of a recall since 2008 but never repaired despite more than 20 recall notices mailed to the vehicle’s registered owners. The car crash occurred on September 30, 2016 in California’s Riverside County and was announced by Honda and NHTSA on October 21, 2016. Nine of the other 10 deaths associated with the defective airbags were also in Honda vehicles.
The initial recall was announced in April, 2013 on a much smaller scale with six brands affected by the airbag issue. In the spring and summer of 2016, however, new admissions by Takata that it didn’t really know which vehicles were built with the defective product or what caused the defect to begin with caused more car manufacturers to issue recalls. Then the NHTSA forced additional regional recalls in high-humidity areas including Florida, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands this past July with the purpose of gathering the removed parts and sending them to Takata for review. Those who own vehicles with the defective, shrapnel-shooting inflator parts in their airbags should bring their vehicle in to the dealership for repair. Toyota began replacing defective passenger-side inflators on October 25, 2016 and sent instructions to its dealers who lack the replacement parts. The instructions are to disable the airbags and affix “Do Not Sit Here” messages to the dashboard.
In addition to the 11 deaths linked to the defective airbags, a New York Times report in September found a total of at least 139 reported injuries across all automakers. Additional reporting by the Times alleges that Honda and Takata knew about the defective airbags since 2004 but failed to notify NHTSA in previous recall filings, which began in 2008.
Product liability law
Defective and dangerous products cause thousands of injuries every year. If you were involved in a car crash caused by a defective part, contact a product liability lawyer today; he or she may be able to help you recover damages for your injury.
In successful product liability cases, a product manufacturer, distributor or seller is held liable for the injuries caused by the defective or dangerous product. Product liability laws vary by state but generally require that a product meet ordinary consumer expectations that a product be free of defects or dangers. When a product fails to meet this threshold, it could end up as part of a product liability lawsuit.
If you or a loved one is dealing with an accident or injury, you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the justice and compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the caring accident attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
