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A South Florida man has been awarded $3 million by a Miami-Dade jury after he was badly injured by a defective Takata airbag in a 2020 car crash.

Jose Hernandez was driving his 2005 Honda Civic in Miami in December 2020 when another vehicle struck him while he was making a left turn.

Although the crash should have resulted in only minor injuries, the Takata airbag in his car exploded incorrectly.

According to the lawsuit, the faulty airbag sent a sharp piece of metal several inches long into Hernandez's right arm.

According to AP News, the injury led Hernandez to file a lawsuit in 2022 against the Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund, which was established following Takata's bankruptcy.

After hearing the evidence, the jury sided with Hernandez, awarding him $3 million for the injuries and suffering he endured.

Takata airbags have been the subject of one of the largest and most dangerous product recalls in history.

At Least 28 US Deaths Linked to Takata Airbag Failures

The company used ammonium nitrate to trigger a small explosion meant to quickly inflate airbags in a crash.

However, over time, especially in areas with high heat and humidity, the chemical can become unstable and explode with excessive force.

That violent explosion can cause the metal container inside the airbag to break apart and send dangerous shrapnel flying inside the vehicle. In Hernandez's case, that's exactly what happened.

According to safety regulators, at least 28 people in the United States and 36 people globally have died because of defective Takata airbag inflators. Over 400 people in the US have been injured, CBS News said.

The first recalls for the airbags began in 2013, and millions of cars across different brands have since been affected.

Attorneys representing the Takata Trust did not respond to requests for comment on the verdict.

"Mr. Hernandez is one of many innocent people who trusted their vehicle to protect them," said his legal team. "Instead, he was hurt by a product that should have saved his life — not made things worse."

Regulators continue to urge drivers to check if their vehicles are part of the recall and to get the airbags replaced immediately, free of charge.