Images of the car driven by Patricia Riggle after the airbag deployed (Morgan & Morgan).
The family of an Oklahoma woman killed when an airbag “detonated like a grenade” and shot pieces of “shrapnel” into her neck says that the steering column contained counterfeit parts.
Patricia Riggle was behind the wheel of a rented Chevrolet Malibu on March 1 when the car in front of her “suddenly and unexpectedly stopped.” According to an amended civil complaint filed last week in Oklahoma County, a collision followed, and the Malibu’s airbag was deployed.
But instead of protecting Riggle — who, according to the complaint, was wearing a seat belt — the airbag allegedly became a deadly weapon.
“[B]ecause the subject Chevy Malibu’s front driver-side airbag system included counterfeit and non-compliant components, the airbag detonated like a grenade and shot metal and plastic shrapnel throughout the vehicle cabin,” the complaint says. “Several fragments from the blast struck Mrs. Riggle in the face, head, and neck, ultimately killing her.”
More from Law&Crime: ‘Detonated like a grenade’: Young mom killed by counterfeit airbag that exploded during crash and ‘shot metal and plastic shrapnel’ all over the inside of her car, lawsuit says
In April, Patricia Riggle’s husband, Shane Riggle, sued rental car company Hertz, along with Manheim, a wholesale auto resale company, and Traum, a company that buys and sells cars at auction. Riggle also sued Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, a Chinese company that, according to the complaint, “derives substantial revenue” from making and selling “counterfeit vehicle airbag components.”
The amended complaint, which explains how the deadly airbag came to be in the car, says that the Malibu had previously been involved in a collision where the airbag was deployed. At the time, the car was owned by Avis, which then allegedly offloaded the car to Manheim to sell. Traum purchased the car, which eventually ended up in Hertz’s rental fleet.
At some point along the line, the lawsuit says, the driver-side airbag was replaced with a counterfeit product from Jilin.
“Upon information and belief, Manheim, Traum, and Hertz are responsible for this repair and for the installation of the counterfeit airbag into the subject Chevy Malibu,” the complaint says.
The complaint also names as defendants the driver of another car, Garrett Nettles, and Tramale Kemp, who allegedly “rented and supplied” the Malibu to Patricia Riggle.
The allegations bear a striking resemblance to those raised following the death of an Arizona woman who died in 2022 after her airbag deployed. According to that lawsuit, a used Chevy Malibu sold by Manheim at auction contained an aftermarket airbag also manufactured by Jilin.
Attorney Andrew Parker Felix, a partner with Morgan & Morgan who is representing the Riggle family, told Oklahoma City NBC affiliate KFOR that the “illegal counterfeit Chinese airbag inflator” forced “scrap metal” toward Riggle’s face at hundreds of miles per hour.
“This vehicle shouldn’t have even been rented to a consumer,” Felix told the station. “It boils down to the old adage of corporate profits over consumer safety.”
Felix told Law&Crime that the lawsuit, which initially only named Kemp as a defendant, was filed so soon after the incident to preserve evidence.
The complaint was later amended to include “all the defendants we feel are potentially responsible for this tragedy.”
Representatives for Hertz did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
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