When an Air Bag Fails to Deploy Serious Personal Injury Can Result
Air bags are meant to protect drivers from the impact of accidents which can cause serious to fatal injuries. However, air bags have been the cause of serious injuries and even death in some cases. Hundreds of thousands of people have been injured or killed due to problems or failures associated with the deployment of air bags. According to the National Highway Travel Safety Administration, there have been more than 215 deaths related to the deployment of air bags since 1990. Of these deaths, approximately 62% were children under the age of 11.
Types of Air Bag Failures and Malfunctions
Severe head injuries, brain damage and even decapitation can occur when an air bag is deployed. The following are some of the known causes of these serious, and sometimes fatal, injuries caused by defective air bags or faulty air bag deployment:
- Overly aggressive air bags that can deploy too quickly (sometimes at speeds greater than 200 miles per hour)
- Over sized air bags that are too large and deploy too far into the occupant’s space
- Air bags without tethers (cloth strips that are sewn to the inside of the air bag to limit movement during the inflation process) where movement is not limited and can cause the air bag to deploy too far into the occupant’s space
- Low deployment threshold where the air bag deploys when unnecessary
Other Determining Factors in Air Bag Related Injuries
- Unwanted deployment
- Failure to deploy when circumstances were appropriate
- Obvious frontal impact resulting in personal injury or death.
- System Malfunction
Legal Help for Injury Victims of Air Bag Failure
If you, a family member or friend have suffered an injury as result of a defective air bag, contact an experienced product liability car accident air bag injury lawyer at the Finz firm now toll free at (855) TOP-FIRM to speak with a product liability car accident air bag injury lawyer or simply fill out the Free Defective Air Bag Injury Case Evaluation form.
