Honda Driver Dead After Minor Accident Prompts Airbag Explosion

A recent report from Bloomberg News revealed the tragic death of Carlos Solis IV, the Texas man who was killed in a January fender bender when the defective airbag in his Honda Accord exploded, sending shards of metal debris into his head and neck.

Solis purchased the Accord only last year from a dealer who had no idea that the vehicle would be one of the millions of vehicles Honda recalled in 2014 for the very problem that killed him. Prior to Soliss ownership, his vehicle had been involved in at least two crashes and was owned by two other people.  As the third owner, Solis had no idea that the airbag the sedan was fitted with had been recalled and would need to be repaired as soon as possible.

The accident is a horrifying testament to the volatility of the compound in Hondas defective airbags, because Soliss crash was minor. Solis was 35 years old when he died Jan. 18, 2015, leaving behind two teenage children.

Soliss death is now the fourth to be confirmed by Honda as a result of its defective Takata airbags. There is currently a fifth case under review in California, and yet another reportedly in Malaysia.

Honda claims that Solis was one of the hundreds of car owners it had attempted to contact about the faulty airbags, but like many other consumers, Solis never received the message. Honda planned to reach out to owners and repair the devices before any issues arose.

At the heart of Soliss accident is Hondas failure to adequately address the potential for serious injury and death that owners of affected models face. When a minor accident can set off an explosion that kills a driver, it raises the question, how many other motorists lives are in danger?

According to the Bloomberg article, roughly 46 million vehicles with unfixed defects were still on the road at the end of 2014. Like Solis, these drivers are responsible for looking up the history of their vehicle to see whether a recall is necessary.

Are you driving one of Hondas recalled vehicles? If you were injured or if someone you love was killed because of a defective vehicle product, contact a Milwaukee personal injury attorney from our law firm today.

PKSD provides free consultations. Call 414-333-3333 or fill out our free case evaluation form to get started today.