Jury Awards $603 Million Verdict to Family of Woman Killed by Exploding Counterfeit Airbag

[Broward County, FL] – A Broward County jury has returned a $603 million verdict against Chinese auto company Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd. (known as “DTN”) in favor of the family of Destiny Byassee, a 22-year-old mother of two who was killed when a counterfeit airbag made by DTN detonated in her car when it deployed in a minor crash. Morgan & Morgan attorneys Andrew Parker Felix and Steven E. Nauman represented Ms. Byassee’s estate and her family. DTN retained counsel and filed a response to the lawsuit denying the allegations against it but failed to attend the trial.

Before the crash that caused her death and before she bought the vehicle, Ms. Byassee’s car had been involved in a prior collision that caused the airbags to deploy. DTN made and supplied an illegal and counterfeit airbag that was installed in the car during repairs. The car was then sold to Ms. Byassee, who never knew about the dangerous counterfeit airbag. During her minor crash on June 11, 2023, the airbag failed to deploy properly and instead exploded and shot metal shrapnel throughout the vehicle cabin. A metal fragment from the blast severed Ms. Byassee’s throat and she bled to death. Ms. Byassee is survived by her two young children, sister, and grandmother.

“This verdict is a critical first step toward ensuring that companies around the world that manufacture counterfeit airbag components are held accountable for their misconduct. Our client was a mother of two young children, who had her entire life ahead of her. What should have been a minor and survivable collision turned deadly because of the counterfeit DTN airbag that was in her steering wheel, and now her children will grow up without their mother,” said Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Andrew Parker Felix. “We are grateful that the jury saw just how dangerous these devices are and sent a powerful message to DTN and others that making and shipping counterfeit airbags into our country will not be tolerated. Despite their failure to attend trial, we believe that there are collectible assets from DTN, which we intend to pursue to the fullest of our ability.”

Ms. Byassee’s estate filed this lawsuit to recover damages for her wrongful death, alleging that DTN’s airbag was defective, dangerous, counterfeit, and illegal under Florida and U.S. law. In rendering its verdict, the jury found in the Byassee Family’s favor and awarded $243 million in compensatory damages and $360 million in punitive damages to punish DTN for its conduct, for a total verdict of $603 million.