$3M Verdict in Takata Airbag Injury Case in Florida
Table of Contents
Case Background
This civil action began on December 13, 2022, when Plaintiff Jose Hernandez sued two Defendants: the PSAN PI/WD Trust, which manages the compensation fund for the fallout from the failed Takata airbags, and Braman Imports, Inc., doing business as Braman Honda, the authorized Honda dealer. The case arose from a horrific incident that occurred two years earlier, on December 13, 2020, in Miami, Florida. Mr. Hernandez, driving his 2005 Honda Civic Coupe, was involved in a minor collision when the car's defective driver-side Takata airbag unexpectedly ruptured. The core of the legal action focused on the severe, life-altering injuries Mr. Hernandez sustained when the faulty airbag inflator exploded.
Cause
The direct cause of Mr. Hernandez’s severe injury was the catastrophic failure of the defective Takata airbag inflator module. During a relatively minor car crash, the inflator, which contained unstable chemical propellants, detonated with excessive force. This explosion caused the metal housing of the inflator a critical safety component to fragment. Instead of deploying a protective cushion, the airbag system became a weapon, shooting metal shrapnel and fragments into the vehicle's interior.
Injury
Mr. Hernandez suffered severe and permanent injuries when the exploding inflator module sent metal fragments into his body. Specifically, a large, "batwing-shaped" fragment from the inflator violently impaled his right arm. This incident caused severe physical impairment, disfigurement, and disability, requiring extensive medical care and resulting in chronic pain and mental anguish. The injuries Mr. Hernandez sustained were life-altering, permanently damaging his capacity for the enjoyment of life.
Damages Sought
Mr. Hernandez sought a judgment against both the Takata Airbag Trust and the Honda dealership to recover all damages available under Florida law. The requested compensation included economic losses, covering past and future expenses for hospitalization, medical care, nursing care, and treatment, as well as past and future loss of earnings and working capacity. Crucially, he also sought extensive non-economic damages to account for the permanent pain, suffering, disability, physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life that the airbag incident had inflicted upon him.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
The case, centered on product liability and negligence, involved two separate entities that bore responsibility for the defective product: the entity managing the consequences of the product failure (The Trust) and the entity responsible for distributing the vehicle (The Dealer).
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Jose Hernandez
· Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Andrew Parker Felix | Steven E. Nauman | Branden Weber | Christian M Leger | Brian Kenneth Mcclain | Kristopher Bonham | T Michael Morgan | Keith R Mitnik
· Experts for Plaintiff(s): Harold Blomquist | Stephanie Bonin | Perry L. Ponder | James Fletcher | Paul Buechel | Frederick A. Raffa | William A. Williams | Robert Renz | Craig H. Lichtblau
Defendant(s): PSAN PI/WD Trust d/b/a THE TAKATA AIRBAG TORT COMPENSATION FUND | Braman Imports, Inc. d/b/a BRAMAN HONDA
· Counsel for Defendant(s): Todd R. Ehrenreich | Troy P. Cunningham | David L. Luck
· Experts for Defendant(s): Lewis Eastlick | Michael Shahnasarian
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
Claims
Counsel for Mr. Hernandez established that the defective Takata airbag inflator posed an unreasonable and foreseeable danger, arguing that the Defendants were responsible for putting this dangerous, shrapnel-producing product into the stream of commerce. The claims focused on the Defendants’ liability for the physical and mental toll the defective product exacted on Mr. Hernandez. The lawsuit held the dealership, Braman Honda, accountable for distributing the vehicle that contained the known defect, and the Trust accountable for compensating victims of the systemic airbag failure.
Defense
The defense, led by counsel for Braman Imports, Inc., denied the allegations of liability. The dealership's legal team stated they lacked sufficient knowledge to form a belief regarding the factual allegations about the incident, denying the Plaintiff's claims where a response was required. While the Trust’s specific defenses were less detailed in the available documents, product liability defense typically included arguments asserting compliance with federal safety standards at the time of manufacture, disputing the severity of the injury, or challenging the causal link between the product and the extent of the Plaintiff's damages. Despite these denials, the core issue of the Takata failure was widely known, focusing the trial on the extent of Mr. Hernandez’s injury rather than the existence of the defect itself.
Jury Verdict
The jury, having heard the evidence concerning the catastrophic airbag failure and the resulting life-altering injury, delivered a decisive verdict on May 1, 2025, in favor of Plaintiff Jose Hernandez. The jury rejected the defense's attempts to minimize the injury or deflect responsibility, focusing instead on compensating Mr. Hernandez for the pain and suffering he endured and would continue to face.
The jury specifically addressed the non-economic damages for the entirety of Mr. Hernandez’s life, acknowledging the profound impact the injury had on his well-being. The total amount awarded represented the jury’s calculation of what adequately compensated him for the pain and suffering, disability, physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life stemming from the December 13, 2020, incident.
Damages Awarded for Pain and Suffering
The jury on 1st May 2025, awarded a total of $3,000,000 to Jose Hernandez for non-economic damages, separating the award into past and future suffering:
Past Damages: The jury awarded $2,500,000.00 for the pain, suffering, and impairment Mr. Hernandez endured from the time of the incident up to the date of the verdict.
Future Damages: The jury awarded $50,000.00 for the pain, suffering, and impairment Mr. Hernandez would experience for the remainder of his life.
The sum of these awards resulted in a total jury verdict of $3,000,000 in compensatory non-economic damages for Mr. Hernandez.