Published on 22/01/2025 09:51
Reading time: 3min – video: 2min
“We tell you that it is made to protect, but it is made to kill”: the testimony of Tom, miraculously after the explosion of his airbag
“We tell you that it is made to protect, but it is made to kill”: the testimony of Tom, miraculously after the explosion of his airbag
(SPECIAL SUBJECT / France 2)
Would some of our cars become ticking bombs? On January 23, 2025, “Special Envoy” broadcasts an investigation into these defective airbags which can kill. In this extract, here is the testimony of a miracle victim.
On November 15, 2023, Tom was driving in his Citroën C3, according to him at around 55 km/h, on a small departmental road near Pau. On a hill, another car hits his, causing his airbag to explode. He is injured in the shoulder and is bleeding profusely. His collarbone is fractured, but more surprisingly, a metal capsule the size of a golf ball is lodged deep in his shoulder. What happened?
A year after the accident, the wreck of Tom’s car finally revealed its secrets. It was his airbag that almost killed him. In the garage where the black C3 is stored, the young man designates journalists as “Special Envoy” “the big problem” : the absence of a metal part in the middle of the steering wheel.
-This is where one of the airbags was placed. During the collision, they exploded completely disproportionately. The piece of metal was thrown at the speed of a bullet fired from a gun, 300 km/h… deep into Tom’s shoulder. The cut seat belt testifies to the power of the projectile.
The young man keeps a long, winding scar that runs around his left shoulder. The surgeon had to cut far around the wound to remove the entire piece, Tom said. “Your son is a miracle”, he told his parents.
What is the defect of this Citroën C3? In 2024, the Benquet family filed a complaint against X for unintentional injuries. After 50 sessions at the physiotherapist and several months of sick leave, Tom and his parents want to find the person responsible.
Tom is not an isolated case. Three days after his accident, still in the south of France, the airbag of another C3 exploded. This time, the driver died instantly. Since 2016, at least 15 people have been killed by their car’s airbag in France, including 14 overseas. Beginning January 2025, the Ministry of Transport launched an information campaign, as well as a site internet allowing you to check if your vehicle is affected.
Excerpt from “Can the airbag in your car kill you?”, a report to see in “Envoyéspecial” on January 23, 2025.
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