Air bag injury due to defects

It has been proven that air bags, when used with seat belts, do save lives. But like seat belts and other safety equipment on your vehicle, defects can lead to air bag injury for a variety of reasons.

Air bag injury due to opening in non-crash situations

Air bags are meant to open during a head-on collision, or in the case of side air bags, during a side collision. However there have been many instances of air bag injury caused by opening in non-crash situations. BMW recalled thousands of cars in 2002 because their side air bags were deploying after hitting a curb or pothole. This can lead to serious, immediate injury, or cause the driver to lose control of the car to cause an actual accident.

Air bag injury due to untethered bag

Air bags are held in place by pieces of material or “tethers.” Untethered bags, or tethers that fail can cause the air bag to expand outside of the “safety zone” and into the vehicle cabin, causing injury to the driver or passengers.

Air bag injury due to large bags

Sometimes the air bag may be too large, and like untethered bags, it can explode too far into the vehicle leading to unnecessary injury.

Air bag injury due to fast bags

Air bags require a lot of force to deploy quickly in case of accident. In fact, air bags expand at rates of 100 – 200 mph under normal circumstances, which can cause injury in itself. Expansion at faster rates than this – and much faster than needed – can cause serious injuries.

Air bag injury due to system defects

Normally, air bags only open after sensors indicate a crash and a series of calculations are made. A whole range of complex computer data and analysis takes place in an instant before the air bag opens – and any defect within this chain of events can lead to injury. Faulty or corroded sensors can fail. The computer system can make a mistake and fire at the wrong time. The air bag opening mechanism could be defective. All of these add up to a situation where air bags open when they are not supposed to, open at the wrong time during an accident, or don’t open at all.

Design, manufacturing, and normal wear and tear all play a part in the efficiency of your air bags. When working perfectly, they are an excellent safety feature and have been shown to have saved thousands of lives. But through defects or negligence, air bags can also cause severe injury, even death. The problem is that you don’t know for sure how your vehicle’s air bags will function until it is too late.

If you or a loved one has suffered air bag injury, or been unduly injured because your air bag failed to open, contact a Jim S. Adler & Associates personal injury attorney for a free case review. We may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve to cover your injuries including medical costs, lost wages, and your pain and suffering. Safety features are useless if they are not designed, manufactured, and installed correctly – and you are left to pay the consequences. Call Jim S. Adler & Associates directly or fill in the form below to start your free air bag injury case review.

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