LANCASTER, S.C. — Deputies say a Lancaster County man was killed by a faulty airbag after a two-vehicle collision in South Carolina.
The driver of a 2002 Honda Accord, 35-year-old Rekeyon Barnette, was taken to a local hospital after the collision where he later died, according to a news release.
Rekeyon Barnette
On January 8th around 10 p.m. deputies say they responded to MUSC-Lancaster hospital in reference to a victim who was killed after a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Gillsbrook Road and Highway 9 Bypass in Lancaster, S.C.
Detectives say components of the airbag in Barnette’s vehicle broke apart in the crash, propelling a large piece at him and causing the fatal injury.
Authorities say the airbag and pieces of shrapnel were sent to a specialty lab in Georgia to confirm the shrapnel was from the airbag and not any other source, and representatives from Honda and NHTSA were notified of the findings,
There are now nineteen faulty airbag death cases in the United States and Lancaster County accounts for two of them, according to a news release.
