By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. auto safety regulator said on Friday a ruptured Takata Corp (T:7312) air bag was likely involved in the April 5 car crash that killed a 22-year-old Louisiana woman, which would make her death the seventh linked to an air bag defect.
Kylan Rae Langlinais died four days after her 2005 Honda Civic struck a utility pole in an early morning accident, according to a lawsuit filed by her family this week in U.S. District Court. The suit alleges that the vehicle's driver-side Takata air bag exploded, sending shards of metal into the passenger compartment and severing her carotid artery.
Officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which recently announced the recall of millions of defective Takata air bags, have been gathering information from the carmaker, family attorneys and other sources.
"After examination of the vehicle and other evidence, NHTSA has concluded that a ruptured Takata air bag inflator is likely to have been involved," NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a statement issued on Friday.
The woman's car was covered by an earlier Honda recall issued last year. NHTSA said Honda reported that recall notices were mailed to affected owners in late March.
The lawsuit names Honda Motor Co Ltd (T:7312) and Takata Corp as defendants. Officials from neither company were available for comment on Rosekind's statement.
NHTSA said it reached the conclusion after examining evidence including a police report, medical records and an inspection of the vehicle.
Defective Takata air bag inflators have been linked to six other deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide. All of the deaths have occurred in vehicles manufactured by Honda.