What you’ll learn about having an air bag injury from this article:
- The dangers of defective airbags
- Types of airbag injuries
- Who is liable for airbag injuries
Airbags are important safety features that protect drivers and passengers from experiencing the full impact of collisions. While these devices are essential for your vehicle, defective airbags can cause serious or even fatal injuries. Tragically, injuries caused by faulty airbags aren’t uncommon. For example, the famous Takata airbag case that settled in 2017 resulted in hundreds of devastating injuries and over 30 fatalities.
If you suffered from an airbag injury, you may wonder who is financially responsible for your medical bills and other damages. In this blog, we discuss what you need to know about defective airbags and recovering fair compensation.
Airbag Defect Types
A faulty airbag can leave you with serious injuries if it fails to protect you during a collision, and defective components from the airbag mechanism may also cause you harm.
Here are some of the ways in which your airbag system may be defective:
- Hazardous parts: If parts of your airbag system malfunction, your airbag may deploy unexpectedly or eject hazardous materials, such as shrapnel.
- Not deploying: A faulty airbag may fail to deploy entirely, leaving you vulnerable to severe impact in the event of a crash.
- Compromised timing: Your airbag needs to deploy instantly when your car sustains impact. A delayed airbag system may fail to protect you during a collision, potentially causing serious injuries.
- Inappropriate force: Your airbag needs to deploy with sufficient energy to protect you, but too much force can cause injury. There are now strict government regulations dictating the right speed and force of airbags, and these rules aim to protect drivers and passengers from too much or too little force.
If you suspect that your airbag malfunctioned and caused you to sustain injuries, you need to contact a product liability attorney to assist you with your case.
Types of Airbag Injuries
While a well-functioning airbag system can protect you, defective airbags are incredibly dangerous and may cause you to suffer life-changing injuries.
Some types of airbag malfunction injuries are as follows:
- Serious traumatic brain injuries
- Cuts and lacerations
- Contusions
- Fractures
- Internal bleeding
- Facial injuries
- Disfigurement
- Whiplash
- Herniated discs
Additionally, it’s important to recognize that your airbag may still cause injuries even if it works properly. Car accident victims are frequently injured by airbags, but their injuries would likely have been more serious without the inflated protection. For instance, you may experience airbag burns on your hands, but without this defense, you may have suffered a serious head injury.
Common types of airbag injuries include:
- Fractures
- Sprains or strains
- Bruises
- Whiplash
- Burns
- Herniated discs
- Traumatic brain injuries
Regardless of the severity of your injury, you need to hold the liable person or party accountable for damages, such as your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
Who Is Liable After an Airbag Injury?
After an airbag injury, the liable party will depend on whether your airbags were faulty. If your airbags were defective or didn’t deploy properly, the liable party will likely be an automotive parts manufacturer or your car’s manufacturer for supplying faulty parts. Alternatively, a car dealership or automotive repair shop may be liable if they damaged your vehicle’s airbags and caused your injuries.
While some airbag injury cases involve negligent manufacturers, such as Takata, many car accident victims are injured by properly functioning airbags. In these cases, the driver who is responsible for the accident is also liable for your airbag injuries. For instance, if a driver rear-ends your vehicle and causes your airbag to deploy, they’ll be financially responsible for your injuries.
Contact a Kentucky Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you’ve suffered harm due to an airbag, you need to contact a personal injury attorney who can help you with your case. If faulty airbags caused you to sustain damages, call an attorney with experience handling product liability cases. On the other hand, if your airbags worked properly, you need an expert car accident attorney.
Here at McCoy & Sparks, we have years of experience helping car accident injury victims and those who suffered damages due to defective products. Whether your injuries were caused by a negligent automotive parts company or merely another driver, we’ll work tirelessly to hold the at-fault party accountable and recover the money you deserve for medical bills and other damages.
You can schedule a free consultation with our team here or call 844-459-9467.