The death of a teenager in Texas adds up to the long list of fatal accidents caused by defective airbags all around the world. Reports indicate that this is already the 11th fatality.
Voice of America reported that a 17-year-old girl was driving her 2002 Honda Civic in late March when she collided with another car causing her airbag to activate. It was noted that the airbag caused pieces of metal to hit the victim on the neck which broke an artery.
The teenager was identified by CBS News as high school senior student Huma Hanif. Deputy Dan Beckworth even showed the piece of metal which killed Hanif during the accident. "This is the actual airbag and the hole where the metal came through," he explained while showing the Takata-made airbag.
For his part, Fort Bend Country Sheriff Troy Nehls said Hanif's death could not have happened if her airbag did not activate. "Almost like a shotgun blast penetrating and unfortunately this piece struck Hanif in the back and took her life. Sad, tragic," Nehls added.
He explained that "a faulty inflator" resulted in the explosion of the airbag. The officer also shared that the victim was still able to take her seatbelt off after the accident but collapsed later on.
"We see crashes like this each and every day," Nehls said. "She should have walked away from this with very few injuries."
According to Voice of America, defective airbags made by the Japanese-based company has caused a recall of cars in various parts of the worlds from different car makers. It was highlighted that among the 11 deaths from these accidents are from the United States while the other one is in Malaysia.
Aside from the deaths, the same report said that more than 100 individuals have also been reported injured because of similar incidents. Records from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that about 7.5 million airbags have already been repaired as if March.
