Airbags are a critical and highly effective motor vehicle safety feature. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, airbags saved more than 50,000 lives over the course of 30 years. Yet, when an airbag deploys in an automobile accident, the force of its eruption can also inflict injuries – as can airbags that contain dangerous product defects.
What Causes Airbag Injuries?
The risk of airbag-related injuries in an automobile accident has to do with how an airbag works. Airbags rapidly inflate fabric bags with gas when a collision is detected to create a soft surface to cushion the occupant’s impact. The inflation process works by the crash sensors sending a signal to the inflator, which contains a chemical propellant.
A rapid chemical reaction occurs when this propellant is ignited, generating nitrogen gas that rapidly fills the airbag. Unfortunately, this split-second inflation process can be powerful enough to strike a vehicle occupant with a high amount of force. This can cause various impact-related injuries, especially to the victim’s upper body, head and face.
Defective Airbags
Some airbag injuries occur because of defective equipment. A defective airbag could cause injury by failing to deploy in a serious accident, deploying at random (without a crash that triggered the sensor) or exploding upon deployment. The worst example in recent history was the Takata airbag recall, which involved approximately 67 million faulty airbags. These defective airbags killed 28 people and injured at least 400 others due to exploding airbag inflators.
Common Types of Airbag Injuries
Injuries from the rapid deployment of an airbag in a car accident or a defective airbag malfunction can include:
- Facial injuries
- Eye injuries
- Cuts and abrasions
- Cheekbone fractures
- Jaw and dental injuries
- Neck injuries and whiplash
- Spinal cord injuries
- Herniated disks
- Broken ribs
- Chest and clavicle injuries
- Abdominal and internal injuries
- Skin or eye irritation from released chemicals
- Burns from chemical exposure
According to experienced injury attorneys in Pittsburgh, these injuries can result in expensive medical bills, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
How to Decrease Your Risk of Airbag-Related Injuries
You can decrease the risk of sustaining airbag-related injuries in an automobile accident by keeping a safe amount of distance between your body and the airbag. Try to sit at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel or dashboard to avoid short-range contact with an inflating airbag.
Always wear your seat belt so that your body is not thrown forward into the airbag with as much force, and to ensure the bag cushions the correct parts of your body. Children under the age of 12 should never ride in the front seat with an active airbag, as they are susceptible to serious airbag injuries.
Can You File a Personal Injury Claim for Airbag Injuries?
Any injury suffered in an automobile accident, regardless of the specific cause of injury, can be included on a car accident claim in Pittsburgh. State law requires the driver or party at fault for causing the motor vehicle accident to pay for victims’ damages using his or her car insurance policy. If the victim suffered airbag-related injuries, these will be covered by insurance.
If an investigation finds that the airbag injuries were caused by a defective product, the victim may be able to sue the manufacturer or distributor of the airbag. Filing a product liability claim in Pittsburgh could lead to compensation for the victim’s injuries without having to prove that the manufacturer was negligent or did not act with proper care.
For a free consultation about how to recover compensation for your recent airbag injuries in Pennsylvania, contact Dallas W. Hartman P.C.