‘Comparable to gunshot wound’: Man killed by airbag shrapnel, inquest told

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‘Comparable to gunshot wound’: Man killed by airbag shrapnel, inquest told

By Georgina Mitchell

A man who died when a defective Takata airbag inflated during a minor crash in 2017 was left with severe injuries that were comparable to a gunshot wound, an inquest has heard.

Huy Neng Ngo, 58, was driving a Honda CRV at Cabramatta in Sydney's west on the afternoon of July 13, 2017, when his car crashed into another car, which police believe did not give way.

File photo from 2015 showing shrapnel propelled by a faulty Takata airbag. Mr Ngo's crash was two years later.

File photo from 2015 showing shrapnel propelled by a faulty Takata airbag. Mr Ngo's crash was two years later.

His airbag inflated, shooting out a piece of metal shrapnel about the size of a 20¢ piece.

The shrapnel pierced Mr Ngo's neck, perforated his carotid artery and trachea, severed his spinal cord and shattered three vertebrae. He died at the scene.

On Monday, an inquest at the NSW Coroners Court was told the car had a defective Takata airbag inflator, which has been associated with 20 deaths and 230 injuries around the world.

Mr Ngo is the only person in Australia known to have died from a defective Takata airbag inflator.

Counsel assisting David Kell, SC, said in an opening statement to the inquest that the defect was caused by the propellant used in Takata airbags "combust[ing] aggressively" after being exposed to moisture or high and low temperatures.

This can cause a rupture in the steel housing of the airbag inflator, propelling steel into the cabin of the car when the airbag deploys.

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Mr Ngo's car had been booked in to get the defective airbag replaced two days before the crash. However, his daughter was running late so the car dealership rescheduled the work to October 2017.

Mr Kell said the ongoing risks posed to members of the public by defective Takata airbags were "very grave indeed".

About 2.3 million Takata airbags have been replaced in Australia but about 600,000 were yet to be replaced, the inquest was told.

Mr Kell said "until quite recently" some vehicle manufacturers replaced defective airbag inflators with another Takata airbag.

"These type of replacement airbags are now understood to present dangers to members of the public and have thus become the subject of further vehicle recalls," Mr Kell said.

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He said it might be that some consumers now need to "replace the replacement".

"Consumers should take immediate steps to check if their vehicles are affected by a Takata airbag recall and take action immediately," Mr Kell said.

"Literally their life, or that of their loved ones, may depend on it."

Mr Kell said the inquest would hear medical evidence that the airbag propelled a metal projectile at Mr Ngo's neck "with considerable force". The projectile was later recovered during an autopsy.

The wound was described as being "comparable to a gunshot wound".

Police arrived at the scene at 12.49pm, about four minutes after the crash, and one of the first officers on the scene described Mr Ngo as being unconscious and not breathing.

Three months later, Mr Ngo's widow – who was in the passenger seat when he died – received an additional letter about the Takata airbag recalls which said the airbag was "faulty and dangerous" and could "shoot metal fragments into your head and body" even in a low-speed crash, which "could be fatal".

Mr Kell said the letter was sent "in error" because the car was not flagged as being written off.

The inquest continues.

To check if your vehicle is affected by the Takata recall, visit ismyairbagsafe.com.au.

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