Defective Airbags: When Safety Devices Cause Injury

Modern vehicles often come equipped with many safety devices that are designed to help drivers avoid accidents or reduce the risk of bodily injury in the event that an accident occurs. Airbags are among the most common of these technologies and have become standard with newer vehicles. Unfortunately, defective airbags also have the potential to cause serious injury, as recently illustrated with the debacle surrounding the Takata airbag recall. Fortunately for anyone hurt by a defective airbag, the law often entitles victims of auto accidents to significant compensation. For this reason, anyone injured in a car accident should call a Clearwater auto accident attorney as soon as possible.

Defective airbags can often cause car accidents

While defective airbags can themselves cause injuries, they can also be the cause of serious car accidents that then cause further injury. If, for example, an airbag unexpectedly deploys under normal driving conditions, it may startle the driver of the vehicle to the extent that he or she hits another car or drives off of the roadway and into another object or structure. In some cases, both the driver of the vehicle with the defective airbag and a third party may be able to assert a legal claim.

What kinds of injuries can a defective airbag cause?

Airbags are capable of causing serious injuries, including the following:

• Burns – Sometimes, the explosive charges used to deploy an airbag can malfunction and cause serious burns to a person’s face, arms, neck, or chest.
• Facial fractures – If an airbag deploys with excessive force, it may result in face or jaw fractures.
• Soft tissue injuries – Defective airbags can cause lacerations, bruises, sprains, strains, and other kinds of soft tissue injuries.
• Traumatic brain injury – If an airbag fails to deploy or does so unexpectedly, the head trauma could result in a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. These serious injuries can often leave victims with significant medical complications that may affect them for months or even years.