On November 7, 2014, the New York Times published an article that Takata knew of the risks of their airbags exploding and hid the risks from the public back in 2004. The information came directly from former Takata workers. In 2004, a Takata airbag ruptured and sprayed shrapnel at an Alabama driver. Takata then conducted tests on 50 airbags. When two of the steel inflaters cracked during testing, Takata engineers began redesigning the airbags to prepare for a recall. Takata executives took another approach – ordering the testers to delete the data from their computers and get rid of the airbag inflaters.

A week after the article came out, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expanded recalls to a national level becoming the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history. The main problem stems from the airbag’s inflator. Takata uses a metal cartridge that is loaded with propellant wafers. In some cases, these cartridges ignite due to the explosive force. When the inflator cartridge breaks in a crash, metal pieces of shrapnel can be sprayed throughout the vehicle – ironically turning a life-saving device into a dangerous safety hazard.

According to the NHTSA, the cause of the problem are airbags which use an ammonium nitrate-based propellent without a chemical drying agent. Environmental moisture, high temperatures, and age of the device all can play a role. At Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates, we have obtained what was the largest verdict in Illinois history on behalf of an injured plaintiff. When the jury returned with their verdict, it was the largest compensatory non-death verdict in Illinois history and the second largest in United States history. The insurance companies hire great lawyers, shouldn’t you?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a nationwide recall of all Takata airbags capable of exploding, a recall affecting about 42 million vehicles in the U.S. and over 64 million airbags. Takata decided to focus their efforts on hotter humid climates, while many car manufacturers made an effort to expand the recall and replace the potentially hazardous and defective Takata airbags. Takata is currently being investigated by the NHTSA. The NHTSA is doing everything it can to make sure there are no more preventable injuries or deaths due to the dangerous airbags manufactured by Takata. So far there have been at least 11 deaths and more than 180 shrapnel-related injuries reported due to Takata’s defective airbags. When you file a claim you become the Plaintiff in the case and the person who caused your injuries (represented by an insurance carrier) is the Defendant. Attorneys on both sides will begin to gather facts and evidence in a process known as discovery. After this process, the case may either go to trial or be settled. We will have completed much of our fact-finding process before we file the lawsuit. Damages for you or a loved one are determined from a number of factors including, but not limited to:

  • Compensation for past and future medical bills
  • Compensation for lost wages
  • Compensation for future wage loss
  • Compensation for physical pain
  • Compensation for suffering
  • Compensation for loss of a normal life
  • Loss of consortium (companionship)

We invite you for a free telephone or in-person consultation to discuss your accident and answer any questions you may have. You can also email us or even speak with us right now on LiveChat. Even if you do not wish to retain an attorney, we can set you on the right path for free. Most of our lawyers have more than 30 years of experience and we have an outstanding track record in helping our clients and creating a strong trust relationship, as you can see in our Success Records. Please call our Chicago office at (312) 372-8822, or our Joliet office at (815) 723-8822, or you can call our toll free number at (800)-985-1819. The lead trial team at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates has won many record-setting jury verdicts, including what was the largest personal injury jury verdict in Illinois history (second largest in the United States). In fact, over the last 5 years, an astounding 80% of the trial team’s jury verdicts have been record verdicts in Illinois according to the Illinois Jury Verdict Reporter.

Clifford W. Horwitz

Clifford Horwitz has devoted his entire career to achieving justice for those who have been victimized by corporate negligence. Clifford has won virtually every case he has tried since he began practicing law with one quarter of the jury verdicts being record-setting verdicts, in addition to securing what was the largest jury verdict in Illinois history for an individual. Cliff has been interviewed by news networks and has published more than 100 articles in various newspapers.

Jay R. Luchsinger

Jay Luchsinger has won numerous record-setting jury verdicts and settlements, as well as what was the highest personal injury verdict in Illinois history for an individual. He engages in cases that focus primarily on personal injury, industrial and construction injury, and wrongful death.

Michael D. Carter, Jr.

Michael Carter, a part of the lead trial team at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates, won what was the largest personal injury verdict in Illinois history for a quadriplegic ironworker. He focuses on severe injuries including spinal cord and brain injury, in addition to construction, product liability, and automobile injuries. Jay R. Luchsinger, Clifford W. Horwitz, Michael D. Carter, Jr. After securing the largest verdict in Illinois history for an injured construction worker ($64 Million), the American Association of Justice branded Clifford Horwitz, Jay Luchsinger, and Michael Carter as, “masters in the profession.” The complaint, judgment, transcripts of the opening statement and closing argument were published in their annual, Top Verdict Litigation publication, providing insights into trial strategies and techniques, successful methods to prove damages, and the opportunity to learn from this team of experts in their field. Since 2012, an astounding 80% of the lead trial team’s jury verdicts have been record-setting. When the juries’ returned with their verdicts, they were:

  • The largest personal injury jury verdict in Illinois history;
  • The largest neck injury jury verdict in Illinois history;
  • The largest spinal cord injury jury verdict in Illinois history;
  • The largest brain injury jury verdict in Illinois history;
  • The largest back injury jury verdict in Illinois history;
  • The largest complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) jury verdict in Illinois history;
  • The largest non-amputated hand injury verdict in Illinois history;
  • And, the largest adult male shoulder injury verdict in Illinois history.

[contact-form-7 id=”20671″ title=”Contact Us”]Attorneys of Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates recovered $64 million on behalf of an injured ironworker who fell 15-20 feet from a beam. The construction accident caused a C1 burst fracture, C7 dislocation fracture and C6 spinal cord injury resulting in a loss of the functional use of the ironworker’s hands and loss of complete use of the body from the chest down.

A Cook County jury awarded the $64 million verdict after a month-long jury trial against AIG insurance and the ‘defense lawyer of the year.’ The record-setting verdict was $13 million higher than the previous record verdict, making it the largest verdict in Illinois history at the time it was rendered. Attorneys represented purchasers of defective computer hard disk drives in a class action suit against International Business Machines Corp.Injury attorneys of Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates recovered $16.4 million on behalf of an injured youth who sustained severe brain and spinal cord injuries in a single-car crash. The defense attorneys failed to negotiate a settlement in good faith with the Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates’ Auto Injury Team and within a reasonable time frame – instead, the opposing counsel went to trial.

The lead trial team at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates prosecuted the case on behalf of the injured youth. The jury awarded our client $16. million. A thirty-foot fall left a union plumber in critical condition with a fractured heel, fractured ankles, multiple severe fractures to both legs, three fractured vertebrae in his back and a herniated disk in his neck.

Clifford W. Horwitz and Jay R. Luchsinger tried the case in front of a twelve-person jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The jury agreed with Horwitz and Luchsinger’s argument that the consulting engineer permitted a grating to be used as a walkway by the engineers even though it was missing components and unsecured – awarding the union plumber with an $11 million jury verdict. While picking up a prescription for flu-like symptoms, a 50-year-old woman was struck in the right calf by a hand truck. The hand truck was operated by Dean’s Transportation.

The lead trial team at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates secured a $10 million jury verdict. It was the largest jury verdict in Illinois history for a complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) injury at the time it was rendered. A journeyman ironworker and former professional boxer in the super middleweight division suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling approximately 12-15 feet. The construction accident resulted in multiple seizures that required hospitalization, headaches, double vision, and a myriad of other problems.

The lead trial team negotiated a $9 million settlement on behalf of the ironworker just short of a jury trial. A journeyman ironworker suffered a severe shoulder injury after a barge collided with his safety skiff while working on a bridge on the Chicago River.

The lead trial team secured an $8 million jury verdict on behalf of the ironworker. It was the largest jury verdict in Illinois history for an adult male shoulder injury at the time it was rendered. A Union Oil explosion tragically took the life of a worker, leaving his wife and three children without a husband and father.

The lead trial team at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates demonstrated that the explosion was caused by the negligence of Union Oil and recovered $8 million on behalf of the family for the wrongful death of the husband and father. Attorneys represented a class of investors in an action alleging the violation of the federal securities laws by Vitesse, the company’s senior officials, the company’s bank, the company’s customers and the company’s auditors. The journeyman carpenter with over 34 years of experience was installing partitions and changing rooms doors when the superintendent of the job-site told the carpenter he was going to help. In less than two minutes, the superintendent managed to drill through the carpenter’s hand, wrapping the carpenter’s ulnar never around the drill bit. The nerve injury from the construction site accident manifested into complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The case was previously handled by the largest personal injury firm in Illinois, who told the carpenter that there was no third party case.

The defendant, ISEC, Inc. offered nothing through their insurance carrier, Liberty Mutual Group. After over five years of litigation and a week-long jury trial, the lead trial of injury attorneys at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates recovered a $5.745 million jury verdict on behalf of an injured union carpenter. The verdict is the largest verdict in Illinois history for a non-amputation hand injury at the time it was rendered, surpassing the previous verdict by over $1 million. Recovered claims against a major U.S. automobile manufacturer for $5.5 million. The remaining conditions of the settlement and the facts are subject to a confidentiality agreement. On January 24, 2017, a Chicago federal jury unanimously agreed to award a couple $5.2 million in total for their injuries sustained after the trailer of a semi-truck operated by New Prime Inc., dislodged and struck their vehicle.