In July 2015, a 13 year-old boy from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania became the eighth person in the U.S. to pass away from injuries sustained by an exploding Takata airbag. Honda attempted to contact the owners of the 2001 Honda Accord for several months about the Takata airbag recall but to no avail.
The latest tragedy highlights the shortcomings facing the massive 23 million vehicle airbag recall in the U.S. To date, only about a quarter of all vehicles under the Takata airbags recall have been serviced as more cars installed with the defective airbags are added to the growing list.
Takata and Honda are under federal investigation for their part in the airbag recall. Reports suggest Takata executives and engineers knew precisely of the dangers plaguing their airbag design yet continued to manufacture the deadly airbags anyways.
The defective Takata airbags used a chemical explosive called ammonium nitrate. Upon impact, the chemical compound is meant to quickly inflate the airbag and cushion the impact drivers and passengers encounter.
Unfortunately, ammonium nitrate can be unstable under certain conditions, most notably high heat and humidity. If the ammonium nitrate is exposed to head and/or water, it may become unstable and combust at an accelerated rate.
If a Takata airbag inflates too rapidly, the metal canister housing the airbag inflator may explode and send deadly pieces of shrapnel into the faces and chests of vehicle occupants. One Florida woman killed by the Takata airbag in her vehicle was wounded so violently, police initially investigated her death as a homicide.
As a law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of injury victims and holding corporate wrongdoers accountable, The Cochran Firm, D.C. is actively investigating the Takata airbag recall. Our firm regularly represents clients catastrophically injured by the negligence and carelessness of powerful entities like Takata and Honda.
If you or a loved one suffered an injury after the Takata airbag in the vehicle caused the metal inflator housing to explode, contact The Cochran Firm, D.C. for a free legal consultation.
