Nissan Altima (Photo : Reuters)
A 19-year-old driver, who lost his eye after the airbag from his Nissan Altima exploded and fractured his face, filed a $2.7 million lawsuit against the car manufacturer.
Jose Luis Rodriguez-Medina explained that the airbag on the driver side should not have deployed when the 1999 Nissan was T-boned by another driver.
Brendan Dummigan, a Portland Lawyer, disclosed that the said airbag was not only found useless in avoiding injuries upon impact but it also opened late. It smacked Rodriguez-Medina in the face with excessive force and speed after the impact on the car while being pushed to the side of a Salem road, Wopular reported.
The victim was flown to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland via a helicopter. He suffered a broken face-bone around the eye socket and a falling-out left eyeball. In lieu to this, the surgeons were forced to take the left eye out.
"It's rocket fuel that is shooting these things out there," Dummigan explained.
Nissan Altima 1999 model cars were not included in the widespread recalls with airbags issues. However, car owners should have been warned nevertheless of the universal problem, according to Oregon Live.
Rodriguez-Medina is also suing two defendants namely Mary Jane Boscacci, the Salem resident who happen to have made a wrong left-hand turn unto the victim; and the used-car dealer J&G Auto, who sold the 2013 Nissan Altima to a friend of Rodriguez-Medina. The victim borrowed the car at the time of the incident at Hyacinth Street Northeast and Portland Road.
Nissan's spokesperson declined to comment with regard to the pending litigation.
