JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman is suing a Japanese company that makes millions of airbags, and Honda, after she was paralyzed for life in a crash.
The attorney for 76-year-old Patricia Mincey said Takata and Honda concealed information about defects for more than a decade.
Mincey was involved in a car crash on the westside of Jacksonville in June 2014 and attorney Ted Leopold said she should have walked away relatively unharmed.
Instead, Mincey's airbag exploded and crushed her spine, leaving her a quadriplegic, meaning she's unable to speak or move her body.
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"It's really everyone's worst nightmare, essentially being a prisoner in one's own body and to have no control of your body no movement in your body," Leopold said. "Everything has to be done for you, from feeding to hygiene."
Leopold told Action News Jax Mincey's medical bills have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mincey is now cared for by her daughter and the family has set up a GoFundMe page to assist with medical bills.
"We're seeking the full measure of justice to take care of Ms. Mincey for the rest of her life as well as all of the pain and suffering that goes along with it," Leopold said.
Honda did issue a recall of cars with Takata airbags, but it happened four days after Mincey's crash.
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