A jury in Hawaii has ordered Japanese seatbelt maker Takata to pay about $US17m in damages to a man left paraplegic from a car accident as the company’s product failed to protect him, a local newspaper reported, according to Kyodo News.
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The $16.96m judgment for Dason Udac of Naalehu and his father Alfredo is one of the largest won in the state, the Honolulu Star Bulletin reportedly said.
The ruling awarded the father $422,500 for emotional distress and loss of care from his son. The father, 84, was riding with his 26-year-old son but was uninjured.
The report said Udac was driving a sport-utility vehicle in 2000 when the car overturned on a highway. The two sued Takata arguing the seatbelts installed in the SUV were negligently designed.
In December, a jury found that Udac was 35% responsible for the accident and Takata 65%, the newspaper said. The final amounts of $16.53 million awarded to Udac included $12.5 million in punitive damages, Kyodo News noted.
