A Dallas woman was awarded $37.6 million after a Texas jury found that Honda Odyssey's seat belt was poorly designed and caused cervical injuries to the woman.
According to court records, on November 15, 2015, the plaintiff was seated in the third-row middle seat of a Honda Odyssey when a pickup truck hit the minivan, causing it to roll over onto its side and top at the intersection of Fitzhugh and McKinney avenues in Dallas. After the accident, the plaintiff suffered a broken neck and was left a quadriplegic, with restricted use of her arms and hands. She filed lawsuits against American Honda Motor Co. Inc. of Torrance, California, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Uber claiming that Honda's seatbelt in the third-row middle seat is defective. After independent testing, an expert affirmed the jury that less than 10% of people who were not much familiar with the van's two-part seat belt system were able to use it properly.
The jury determined the manufacturer was 63% responsible for the woman's injuries, the driver was 32% responsible, and the plaintiff herself was 5% responsible. The jury award included $8 million for past and future mental pain and anguish, and almost $20 million for future medical expenses, among other damages. Honda was highly disappointed with the massive verdict and plans to make an appeal soon.
