What Are the Most Common Types of Injuries That Result from Airbags?

Airbags undoubtedly save lives every day. They help lower the risks of passengers hitting their head and body against hard surfaces, being ejected from the vehicle, or suffering severe injuries due to glass and debris. However, airbags don’t come without risk and can often lead to injuries instead of preventing injury. When a vehicle’s airbag deploys during an accident, it comes out at extremely high speed. The airbag is often hot and may be covered in dust and chemicals that assist in the deployment. While the airbag failing to deploy can lead to injury, the airbag’s abrupt deployment can also cause severe injury.

How Can an Airbag Cause Injury?

The airbag provides protection and safety but can also be responsible for many severe and immobilizing injuries. Airbags deploy at speeds of roughly 100mph. When something hits at that speed, it results in a serious impact on the body. The most significant deployment error is a malfunction of the crash sensor:

• The sensor might malfunction and deploy the airbag at the wrong time
• The sensor might not deploy the airbag at all
• The sensor might deploy one airbag but not the other
• The sensor might deploy the airbag, but a fraction of a second too late

The deployment timing is critical to safety. Deployment of the airbag even a fraction of a second too late can cause severe injuries. Even if the airbag does deploy at the correct time, the airbag may still cause injury. The speed at which the airbag deploys, or the chemicals released during deployment may also lead to injury.

Types of Injuries Caused by Airbags

Airbag deployment can lead to a range of injuries to several body parts. The rate of airbag deployment, chemicals used within the device, the design of the device, and seat belt usage all play a role in airbag-related injuries. Common injuries caused by airbags include:

• Abrasions to the upper body (arms, chest, and face)
• Contusions to arms, knees, chest, face, and internal organs
• Burns to the hands, arms, and chest
• Wrist injuries and sprained fingers
• Cervical spine injuries (fractures, strains, and blunt force trauma)
• Fractures to the skull, rib cage, face, arms, and wrists
• Concussions, loss of consciousness
• Brain swelling, brain bruising
• Lacerations to the liver, spleen, veins, heart, arteries, lungs, and brain stem
• Hear muscle rupture
• Asthma attacks
• Coughing and throat irritations
• Airbag dermatitis (irritation of the skin)
• Eye injuries
• Hearing loss and other ear-related traumas
• Internal bleeding
• Fetal injury (puncture to the placenta in pregnant women)

If an airbag has injured you, you may be able to file a product liability claim. In this type of case, it must be proven that some component of the airbag was defective when it left the manufacturer or that the airbag was designed in a way that made it unreasonably dangerous. The manufacturer is unlikely to jump at the chance to admit they made an error in the design or produced an unreasonably dangerous product. A product liability lawyer can help you gather the necessary evidence to prove your claim and protect your right to fair compensation for your injury.

Injured by an Airbag? Contact Our Specialist Product Liability Lawyers At  Jensen Phelan Law Firm

Airbags are meant to protect passengers. When an airbag fails to provide protection and instead injures a person, they may file a product liability claim. Defective products pose a significant danger to consumers, especially those relying on the product for their safety. Depending on the circumstances of your case, our product liability lawyers at Jensen Phelan Law Firm, P.C. can help link your injuries to the airbag’s defects or malfunctions. Our specialist Arizona lawyers will pursue full compensation for the injuries you sustained as a result of the defective airbag. You can schedule an appointment through our online contact form or call (928) 778-2660.