Tragic Death Results in Lawsuit Against Honda & Takata
March, 2015
Law firm Press Release states:“On January 18, 2015, Carlos Solis, IV was driving a 2002 Honda Accord in Spring, Texas when he was involved in a minor wreck with another car. The driver side airbag engaged and inflated in the collision. A large piece of metal from the airbag inflator exploded through the airbag. The shrapnel entered Solis’s neck, severed his carotid artery and jugular vein, fractured his windpipe, and lodged in his shoulder and cervical spine. The lawsuit details these findings from the autopsy by the Harris County Medical Examiner, who retrieved the metal disc from the body and described it as “foreign object (air bag inflator component).” The metal went so deep no one responding at the scene could see or feel it. Scott Solis, the brother of Carlos, came and attempted to apply pressure to the wound and comfort his brother as he bled and eventually died….” “Solis’s car was bought used in 2014 at a Houston area car dealer. While the car had been recalled in late 2011, it had never been repaired. Solis never received any notice of any need for repairs.” See http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lawsuit-against-honda-and-takata-alleges-defective-airbag-caused-drivers-gruesome-death-300046263.html
Legislators Press Release:
Contact: Giselle Barry (Markey) 202-224-2742
Josh Zembik (Blumenthal) 202-224-6452
Markey & Blumenthal Introduce Legislation to Ensure Safety Recalls Are More Quickly Completed
Legislation would require state DMVs inform vehicle owners of recalls to ensure timely repairs
Washington (March 2, 2015) – It was a year of record motor vehicle safety recalls in 2014, with approximately 64 million vehicle recalls and service campaigns due to potentially deadly safety defects, including the GM ignition switch and Takata exploding airbag defects. In response to this deadly wave of accidents and recalls, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced legislation that would require state Departments of Motor Vehicles and state motor vehicle registration agencies to notify vehicle owners of open safety recalls to help ensure that owners get the safety recalls remedied. The Repairing Every Car to Avoid Lost Lives (RECALL) Act is similar to requirements to obtain emissions testing or insurance prior to registration or registration renewal by many states, and it is an effective way to ensure that vehicle owners are aware of and comply with their safety recalls. Studies estimate that only 65 percent of recalled vehicles get fixed within the first 18 months of being recalled, and one in every seven vehicles on American roadways – upwards of 34 million cars and trucks – has an unfixed recall.
“This legislation represents the three R’s of automotive safety: recall, repair, register,” said Senator Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.“We need to inform all vehicle owners of open safety recalls and ensure repairs get made quickly so our roads are kept safe. The RECALL Act will help prevent any more avoidable deaths from unrepaired recalls. I thank Senator Blumenthal for his partnership on this legislation and look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Thune and our colleagues to enact strong auto safety legislation to protect American families.”
“Unrepaired safety defects endanger everyone on America’s roadways. Important recall notices can get bogged down with legalese, and busy consumers can miss a lifesaving update,” said Senator Blumenthal. “This legislation provides a common-sense avenue to ensure every driver is reminded and encouraged to make the necessary repairs and keep unsafe cars off the roads.”
A copy of the RECALL Act can be found HERE.
“Senators Markey and Blumenthal’s initiative will help us all achieve the critical goal of completing 100 percent of every automotive recall campaign in America. We believe the process of vehicle registration is a logical point to require an additional check for any open safety recalls in order to ensure that repairs are completed,” said Rick Schostek, Executive Vice President of Honda North America, Inc. “When it comes to ensuring that safety-related recalls are completed, automakers, government and concerned citizens need to work together to protect drivers, passengers and others on the road. Everyone has an important stake in making sure these vehicles are repaired.”
“Based on my personal experience, I am committed to finding ways to make certain that every vehicle owner is aware of and addresses open recalls,” said Stephanie Erdman, a Florida resident who was seriously injured in 2002 by a Takata airbag inflator. “This proposal significantly increases the likelihood this will occur.”
