When Your Airbag Hurts You Instead of Helping

Airbags in cars are a safety feature that has been around for well over fifty years. The idea is that when you get into a crash, your airbag inflates and cushions you from the impact. When an airbag works correctly, it can save your life. When it does not work correctly, it can make an accident much, much worse than it had to be. Defective airbags can cause severe injuries that may be worse than the injuries you would have sustained with no airbag at all.

Manufacturers, designers, and installers could all be the party ultimately responsible for putting a defective and dangerous product on the market. Unlike a typical car accident case, a case involving defective airbags is based on products liability. You will need to work with an attorney who can investigate to pinpoint the party whose negligence led to the defect. 

What Types of Injuries Can Defective Airbags Cause?

Airbags are supposed to prevent injury, not contribute to it. One of the most common types of airbag defects is a failure to deploy when needed. If you were in a serious car accident and your airbags did not deploy, then they may have been defective. If this is the case, it is a question of what injuries your airbags would have prevented if they functioned correctly. You may have a claim against the driver who caused the accident, and possibly against the airbag’s manufacturer as well. 

However, even if your airbags did deploy, a defect could cause injuries such as: 

• Facial injuries - The bones in your face are delicate and can easily be broken by an airbag that bursts with excessive force. These injuries can be disfiguring and may require surgery to correct. In more severe cases, vision loss is possible if the eyes or the fragile bones around the eye socket are broken. 
• Chest and torso injuries - When airbags deploy, they may strike the driver or front passenger hard from the waist up. This impact can cause fractures of the breastbone or rib. Internal injuries are not uncommon. Harm like internal bleeding or hematoma on an organ may result. 
• Severe whiplash - When an airbag deploys at just the wrong time, it can throw a person’s head and neck back against the seat with extreme force. This can cause neck and spinal cord injuries, which can be debilitating. Brain injuries are common as well, as the brain can bounce inside the skull hard enough to cause significant damage. 

If your airbag ultimately did more harm than good, you may be entitled to recover compensation from the party responsible for the defect. 

Call a Nueces County Products Liability Attorney

The Edwards Law Firm is committed to helping people who were injured by a defective product recover compensation. Our skilled Corpus Christi products liability lawyers will investigate to find the party who caused the defect in your airbag. Call 361-698-7600 for a free consultation. 

Source:

https://nypost.com/2021/08/25/millions-of-cars-with-faulty-airbags-still-on-roads-despite-deaths/