A 50 year old woman from California died after a car wreck last month. She is the 11th American victim of defective air bag inflators made by Takata Corporation. The woman's death was confirmed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last Thursday, however her name was not released yet. The agency identified the woman according to coroner's records as Delia Robles from Riverside County, California.
On the other hand, there are up to five people who were killed due to the same reason in Malaysia, which makes the victims as many as 16 globally. The conclusion made after the investigation conducted by the Riverside police is that the main cause of the collision is the left turn of the Chevrolet pickup truck which is maneuvered by a man. The Chevrolet truck was struck head-on by the Honda Civic.
The woman was immediately sent to the nearest hospital however she did not survive after suffering from a serious injury. According to Bloomberg, the police are still investigating whether or not the air bag system has a significant role in the death of the woman.
Honda sent its thoughts and deepest sympathies to the family of the victim. However Jose Contreras, the surviving son of the deceased, said that he is considering on taking a legal action against the persons responsible. He also said that her mom was a very safe driver.
In U.S alone, 69 million Takata airbags are recalled out of the 100 million worldwide and now Takata have to incur billons for its costs. Honda also claimed that there were already multiple notices that are sent to the address of the victim but there are no indications that she has received them. Thus, the vehicle was left unrepaired from the time she bought it at the end of 2015 according to a report in Chicago Tribune. Furthermore, the NHTSA already gave a warning about the extreme danger of Takata inflators that is why owners of older models of Hondas and Acuras are urged to get their vehicles repaired.
