A defective air bag made by Takata Corp for Honda Motors Co. has resulted in the death of a driver near Pittsburgh. The incident marked the ninth death worldwide attributed to the air bags of Takata Corp.
On July 22, 2015, a 13-year-old boy was driving a 2001 Honda Accord Coupe when it crashed and the air bag inflated.
After investigating the incident, Honda and the government found out that the injuries of the boy were caused by a ruptured air bag inflator. The car was initially recalled in 2010 of which the recall notice was mailed by Honda to the owner the day before the crash, as reported by the Sky News media.
Takata Corp is now working with Honda, with the assistance of the government, regarding the case.
Triblive news reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has only learned the death of the teen in December after a lawyer of the teen's family contacted the agency, said spokesman Gordon Trowbridge.
It was reported by the State police that a Grove City boy was driving a relative's 2001 Honda Accord on July 22 at 4:46 am when he apparently lost control on Route 58 and struck a fallen tree.
The crash victim was then flown to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, said the report. It was confirmed by the Mercer County Coroner's Office that the teen died at the hospital.
The tragic incident is the first in the U.S. since April and is tied to the inflators that have been recalled in millions of vehicles worldwide.
Takata agreed to pay a fine of $70 million in November for safety violations and could defer penalties under NHTSA settlement of up to $130 million, as reported by Reuters news.
Last week, NHTSA named a former official of the Justice Department to monitor and help regulators oversee the most complex safety recalls in U.S. automotive history.
The nine reported air bag deaths occurred in Honda vehicles, which included the death of a pregnant woman in Malaysia.
