Miami Injury Lawyer Blog
A new class action lawsuit against the Japanese airbag manufacturer, Takata, addresses the ever expanding numbers of cars affected by faulty airbags. The airbags have been known to violently inflate, explode before expanding enough to stop major damage, and even send dangerous metal shrapnel into the drivers and passengers of vehicles. Millions of vehicles produced by Honda, Nissan, Acura, and even some domestic companies like Ford and Chrysler have been recalled due to the dangerous airbags. You can read more about the ever increasing numbers of vehicles on the recall list here.
The manufacturer of these faulty airbags has been scrambling to identify all the vehicles that were produced with the model of airbag, but has struggled to determine the true number of vehicles affected. Honda alone has had to recall 14.3 million Honda and Acura vehicles, including the wildly popular Honda Civic and Honda Accord for several model years in the early 2000s. United States regulators have threatened the company with huge daily fines to press the company into faster and more efficient identification of all the vehicles that may have the airbags installed. To find out of if your car or SUV is part of the recall, please visit your car maker’s website and find recall information.
After a hearing to determine the location of the consolidated action, a Federal Board has determined that Florida will be the venue for the various class actions resulting from the faulty airbags. Nearly 70 class actions will be consolidated in the Southern District of Florida for the various economic damages, like the loss of vehicle that many have faced, and even the more serious cases of serious personal injury and wrongful death relating to the airbags. The pending class action in Florida courts is still in the early stages of development, as the presiding judge has just selected the lead attorneys for the case.
Class action lawsuits consist of many plaintiffs, sometimes in the thousands, who have all been injured or economically affected by the faulty product or service. They can be extremely long, drawn out processes, as the trial has to hear complex evidence about notice of the faulty product, damages, whether or not the class itself is proper, and the various defendants to be sued, in this case, the manufacturer of the faulty airbag, and the car companies that might have allowed these products into the market with knowledge of their problems. These lawsuits are intended to protect classes of people from faulty products but also to disincentivize bad faith corporate practices. The litigation and even settlement cases for these types of trials can be very complex, and require experience and detailed knowledge of the process.
If someone you know has been injured by a faulty product or need representation or advice on whether or not you have a case against a bad product or service, call the Friedland | Carmona Today! Our lawyers have extensive experience in products liability and the personal injuries that result from them, and can help you get the compensation you deserve.
The Broward County product liability attorneys at the Friedland | Carmona handle all types of negligence, product liability, personal injury, negligent security, slip/trip and fall, and car accident cases throughout the state of Florida, including Boca Raton, Homestead, North Miami, South Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Pembroke Pines, Hialeah, Kendall, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach. The Friedland | Carmona handles all types of personal injury cases, including wrongful death, defective products, medical malpractice, slip and falls, negligent and reckless drivers, and automobile and motorcycle accidents. Call the Miami personal injury attorneys today and let our family take care of your family.