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Car Airbag Injuries: What You Need to Know

08/03/2021

Car airbags are designed to save lives in the event of a car crash. They are among the most innovative, auto-safety features of recent decades, and have even been proven effective in reducing driver mortality. 

However, even though efficient, airbags are sometimes the reason behind fatalities. We explore various airbag defects, the type of injuries they cause, and what to do after an airbag related accident and injury.



How Car Airbags Work and the Related Defects 

Airbags are typically designed using a light fabric, and then installed in various places in the car starting with the driver’s steering wheel, and the passenger’s seat dashboard panel. 

Each airbag is usually connected to a crash sensor, which means it’ll automatically deploy in case of a crash.  In a perfect world, an airbag should always be a life-saving innovation. But this is no perfect world, and sometimes, the crash sensor may malfunction and as a result:

  • Trigger and deploy the airbag in a non-collision 
  • Fail to deploy the airbag
  • Deploy the airbag a second too late 
  • Deploy only one airbag

Common Airbag Injuries

Airbags are designed to deploy at a speed of about 100MPH. When an airbag deploys in a non-collision, a second late, or fails to deploy, the following injuries might occur:

  • Eye injuries
  • Concussions
  • Traumatic brain injury 
  • Internal bleeding 
  • Internal injuries to vital organs like the liver and lungs
  • Spine injuries
  • Whiplash 
  • Rib fractures
  • Friction burns to your upper body
  • Impact injuries and lacerations on the wrists and fingers
  • Airbag dermatitis
  • Heart rupture

Airbag injuries can even be fatal. 

What to Do After an Airbag Accident or Injury 

Here’s what you should do after an airbag accident:

Seek Medical Assistance

The first thing you should always do after any accident including an airbag-related one is to seek medical assistance. 

Maintain Possession of Your Car and the Airbag after the Crash

If you believe that your injuries were as a result of a malfunctioning airbag, then you should try and maintain possession of your car, the airbag and any of its related parts. 

This is critical because after an accident, insurers often take possession of the junk car. So, ensure you hold on to the mentioned because it will serve as evidence during the claim process.

Hire an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney 

If you strongly believe that your injuries were caused by a faulty airbag, then you have a potential personal injury case. However, for you to put in a legal claim, you need to prove product liability.

For an average Joe like you, this might sound like a lot of Greek, but a skilled personal injury attorney from RS Law Offices will know how to go about the process. Also note, in such cases, the potential defendants usually include the auto manufacturer or the airbag manufacturer. It pays to have a professional personal injury attorney when going against such defendants. 

Get Professional Help

Airbag accidents and injury cases are more complex to navigate than the usual personal injury cases. Get in touch with our team today for an obligation-free consultation.

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