The Ammons Law Firm has successfully negotiated the settlement of a product liability case against Honda and Takata brought on behalf of a young Texas woman who was seriously injured when the inflator in her Honda Civic’s front airbag exploded in a relatively minor collision. The injured woman, thankful to be alive, testified before a U.S. Senate committee looking into the danger of exploding airbags in the hope of sparing others the horror of what she has been through.
In the lawsuit, it was alleged that the Civic’s driver-side airbag was defective and unreasonably dangerous because, in the event of a deployment, its defective inflator produces excessive internal pressure that causes it to explode into pieces. As a result, metal fragments are propelled toward the driver, some of which can penetrate the airbag cushion and strike the driver. In this particular case, metal shot through the airbag cloth and embedded itself in the young woman’s right eye.
Ammons also alleged that the airbags were not properly tested, that consumers were not warned of the
dangers they posed and that Honda and Takata knew of the inflator problem long before doing anything to address it. According to Ammons, these manufacturers’ investigation and response were dilatory,
unacceptably limited and far from transparent. While from 2008 to 2013, defective airbags like those in the 2002 Civic were the subject of several recalls, many owners were never notified of any recall and some only received notice after it was too late.
A Honda dealership was included in the lawsuit for failing to notify the injured woman of any airbag recall, problems or safety issues. Despite servicing the Civic on several occasions, the dealership did not perform the prescribed remedy under the recalls: replacement of the airbag inflator. In addition to Honda and Takata, settlement was reached with this party.
Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.
The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers, and workplace negligence.
