MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida jury has awarded $3 million to a man who was
severely injured by a defective airbag in a 2020 crash.
Miami-Dade jurors rea
ched a verdict for Jose
Hernandez on Thursday, according to court records. He had filed a lawsuit in 202
2 against Takata Airbag T
ort Compensation Trust Fund, which was formed during Takata’s bankruptcy
Hernandez was driving his 2005 Honda Civic in Miami in December 20
20 when another vehicle hit him as he tried to make a left turn, his attorneys said. The collision should have caused only minor inju
ries, but the car’s Tak
ata airbag inflator improperly exploded, shooting a piece of metal shrapnel
several inches long into Hernandez’s right arm, the lawsuit said.
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Attorneys for the Takata trust didn’t immediately respond to an em
ail Monday seeking comment.
At least 28 deaths have been linked to Takata air bag inflators in the U.S.
and at least 36 worldwide
, according to regulators. More than 400 people in the U.S. have been hurt. Large-scale recalls began in 2013.
Takata used ammon
ium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time due to high hea
t and humidity and explode
with too much force. That can blow apart a metal canister and send shrapnel into the passenger compartment.