WATCH: (Scroll Down For Video) A woman who can no longer speak because an air bag exploded and severed her throat is now suing a car company accused of manufacturing millions of the faulty devices.
Randi Johnston, aged 25, from Centreville, Utah, was driving to work in September when she rear-ended the car in front of her – and the air bag in her 2003 Honda Civic EX allegedly failed to activate properly.
It blew up in her face, causing huge pieces of shrapnel to fly out of the wheel and cut her trachea and vocal chords.
As motorists began to rush to help her with blood gushing from her throat, she feared she would die at the side of the road.
Her family is now suing the air bag manufacturers Takata – who have already recalled millions of the air bags because of suspected design flaws, Honda and the dealership that sold her the car.
She was in the hospital for three weeks, but has been left with lasting injuries and can only communicate with a notepad.
Seven people have allegedly died and hundreds of others have been hurt because of faults with Takata air bags.
‘I have to relive the accident everyday, I remember the sound I made gasping for air and grabbing onto a stranger’s shirt for dear life and asking if I was going to die,’ Johnston wrote in an interview with KUTV.
‘I would never want this to be able to happen to anyone else.’
Read More: Centerville woman sues after air bag malfunction severs her trachea and vocal chords
