Airbags are installed in cars in order to reduce injury and impact should drivers and their passengers ever get into an accident. However due to the force needed for them to inflate, and because they come into such close contact with the individuals in the car, airbags can sometimes do more harm than good. The chances of getting injured by an airbag increase even more when an airbag is defective and in some cases, the injuries can even be fatal.
Any time an airbag deploys, there’s a chance the people inside the car are going to get burned, especially anyone facing the airbag. However, defective airbags can cause unnecessary burns, if there’s too much gas going into the airbag or up and through the car vents, a common problem with defective airbags.
Typically airbags also have a nylon surface, which should reduce the chances of burning the skin of anyone. However, if an airbag is constructed of another, more flammable material, this can also cause greater injury.
Along with the gas released upon an airbag deployment, the actual force of the airbag can cause a number of injuries. When an airbag malfunctions however, that force can be excessive, and cause broken bones in the wrist, arms, or hands – the areas closest to the steering wheel. And when airbag deployment has gone really wrong, those breaks can be severe.
Drivers aren’t the only ones at risk for injuries due to defective airbags however. Airbags are also located on the passenger side of the front seat, and sometimes are now even in the back, along the sides of the car. Eye injuries, facial abrasions, broken jaws, and broken necks are all passenger injuries that have been reported to be due to defective airbags.
Of course, sometimes the worst injuries come from an airbag that doesn’t deploy at all – another type of defect found in some airbags. This leaves the driver and any passengers completely vulnerable to any car accident injuries and sometimes, those injuries can be fatal.
Defective airbags fall under the legal category of product liability and if you’ve been injured to an airbag that malfunctioned, you may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer or supplier. In the case of airbags, these are often big companies that are intimidating to anyone. Don’t think you have to do it alone. Call the San Diego defective air bag lawyers at Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers at (888) 233-5020 for a free consultation. We’ve taken on companies before, and we want to help you in your fight, too.
