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Recent reports from car insurance carriers found that over 77 percent of drivers have been involved in at least one car accident, making your chances of getting into a car accident during a 1,000-mile trip 1 in 366.
Based on these statistics, the average person may have to file about three to four auto accident claims in their lifetime. Generally speaking, these numbers indicate that getting into a car accident is not a significant concern for the average American. When backing out of your driveway, you probably donโt worry about getting into an accident. Instead, youโre likely thinking about just getting to your destination and moving on with your life. However, another concern is whether your carโs life-saving devices, such as seatbelts or airbags, will function as intended.
Are Airbags Saving Lives?
Federal safety research indicates that airbags have been deployed extensively in vehicle crashes, significantly contributing to occupant protection and injury prevention. Undoubtedly, these devices have saved lives and prevented injuries. That said, can airbags have a downside?
Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identified 175 fatalities attributed to airbags. Children accounted for 104 of those fatalities, while the rest were typically shorter female adults. Interestingly, all of these victims died in low-speed accidents and could have survived the impact itself.
These incidents show that while airbags generally protect passengers, they can sometimes cause unexpected harm. In cases where an airbag malfunctions or contributes to injury, victims may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer.
The Functions Of An Airbag
The driverโs airbag is located in the steering wheel, while the passenger airbag can be found behind the panel on the dashboard. When completely inflated, the driverโs side airbag is about the size of a large beach ball. The passenger airbag can actually be much larger when inflated. The reasoning behind this is that the passengerโs airbag is much farther away from the passenger than the driverโs airbag. It needs to inflate to a larger size to protect the passenger.
The airbag connects to a crash sensor. If the car is involved in a sufficiently serious crash, the sensor will trigger the airbag to deploy. An impact generally needs to be a head-on or near-head-on crash at any speed above approximately eight to ten miles per hour for the sensor to deploy the airbag.
If an airbag deploys during a collision and causes injury, you may wish to learn about your legal options. Car accident attorneys can guide you through the process of filing a car accident claim and help explain potential avenues for pursuing compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and other losses, depending on the specifics of your case.
Harmful Injuries Caused By Airbag Deployment
Airbags are designed to protect passengers and drivers in the event of a severe accident. However, there are cases where airbags can actually cause more harm than good. Airbags can sometimes cause severe injuries, especially for occupants of a vehicle who are not wearing seatbelts.
Some Common Injuries Caused By Airbags
- Brain Injuries โ When an airbag deploys, the head and face will get the majority of the impact. This may cause concussions, brain swelling, bruising, and even the loss of consciousness.
- Eye Injuries โ If the face is hit, the eyes are also at risk of being impacted by an inflating airbag. You might end up with a black eye, bleeding in the front of the eyes, or painful corneal abrasions. If you wear glasses and the airbag deploys, you might have the lenses of your glasses cracked or shattered. In the process, you could sustain additional injuries to your face and eyes.
- Dental Injuries โ These injuries are often overlooked, but they still occur and can potentially be severe. Although teeth are only a small portion of the human body, the pain associated with dental injuries may be severe. The force of the airbag inflating might cause chipped or broken teeth or even be so forceful as to knock teeth out of their sockets. You may need to see an emergency dentist who can perform sedation dentistry to help with your dental injuries.
- Fractures โ Because they must work quickly to provide protection, airbags deploy at speeds of 100 to 220 miles per hour. At such a substantial speed, bone and soft tissue injuries may occur. Facial fractures of the eye sockets, nose, jaw, and other areas are common.
Other Types Of Injuries Caused By Airbags
- Abrasions to the upper body, such as the arms, chest, and face.
- Bruises or contusions to arms, knees, chest, face, and internal organs.
- Burns to the hands, arms, and chest.
- Wrist injuries and sprained fingers.
- Cervical spine injuries, including fractures, strains, and blunt force trauma.
- Fractures to the skull, rib cage, face, arms, and wrists.
- Traumatic head injuries, concussions, brain swelling, brain bruising, and loss of consciousness.
- Lacerations to the liver, spleen, veins, heart, arteries, lungs, and brain stem.
- Heart rupture.
- Asthma attacks, coughing, and throat irritation.
- Airbag dermatitis. This may cause skin irritation.
- Hearing loss and other trauma to the ear.
- Internal bleeding.
- Fetal harm, rupture, or abruption of the placenta in pregnant women.
Problems With Airbag Deployment
Airbags can malfunction and, when they do, could cause severe injuries. Some potentially problematic malfunctions occur with the crash sensor. These may include the following:
- A sensor malfunction might cause it to deploy the airbag at the wrong time (in a non-crash situation, for example).
- A sensor might not deploy the airbag at all during a crash.
- A sensor could deploy one airbag but not the other.
- A sensor might deploy the airbag but merely a microsecond too late.
Timing is critical in the deployment of the airbag. Even a fraction of a second too late could cause serious injury, since the head of the driver or passenger can be too close to the airbag.
If an airbag sold by Walmart malfunctions and causes serious injuries, you may have a right to seek compensation for your losses. Consulting with Walmart product liability lawyers can help you understand which legal options may be applicable in your case. If you have a valid claim, they can also assist in pursuing compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses resulting from the defective product.
Tips For Preventing Airbag Injuries
It is every driverโs responsibility to help keep everyone as safe as possible in their vehicle, especially if the airbags were to deploy. Here are some safety tips to follow:
- Wear a seatbelt at all times while in the car.
- Children under 12 should ride in the back seat only.
- Use the correct size/style car seat for infants and children.
- Keep seats positioned at least 10 inches back from the steering wheel and dashboard.
- Always wear a seatbelt; in 80 percent of airbag-related deaths between 1990 and 2008, the victim was not wearing a seatbelt.
- Ensure that children are properly seated to avoid any distractions to the driver.
Injured In A Car Crash? Call An Experienced California Car Accident Lawyer
Despite having the potential to cause severe injuries, airbags have saved numerous lives since their introduction in modern vehicles. Follow airbag safety tips when driving or riding in a car, and encourage your passengers to do the same. If you have an airbag-related injury, contact California car accident lawyers from Arash Law to learn more about your legal rights and options.
We have decades of collective experience serving California injury victims, particularly in San Francisco, Sherman Oaks, Riverside, San Jose, San Diego, and Sacramento. If you are seeking damages for your injuries and other losses, contact our personal injury lawyers at Arash Law and learn how we can help. To book your free initial case evaluation with experienced California car accident lawyers, reach out to us by phone at (888) 488-1391 or through our online contact page.
