Our Virginia Beach personal injury attorneys know that a head-on collision is one of the most dangerous types of car accidents. These accidents often result in serious injuries and death. This is because at least one – if not both – vehicles involved in the crash are traveling at a higher speed, causing a severe impact when the collision occurs.
Over the past several decades, vehicle manufacturers have developed and equipped new models with different safety systems that can help protect vehicle occupants from serious injury in the event of an accident. One of the most common safety systems is the air bag. When there is an impact of the vehicle being hit or hitting another car or object, the air bag automatically deploys to protect the person from serious injuries, such as smashing into the steering wheel or dashboard. Unfortunately, the air bag deploying can also cause serious injury to the occupant because of the force expelled when it opens up.
How Air bags Work
Air bags are comprised of lightweight fabric. The bags are packed into different areas of the vehicle. They are released when the sensors in the air bag unit are triggered, such as the impact from another vehicle in a head-on crash. When the sensor is triggered, the bag is inflated with gas and deploys. These actions take just seconds.
While the air bag does protect a vehicle occupant from the crash, the deployment of the air bag can cause them to suffer injury. For example, a front air bag will stop the driver from hitting the dashboard, but the force of the bag hitting their head or face can cause them to suffer brain injuries, headaches, back pain, neck pain, and chest pain. A victim in an accident where their air bag has been deployed should seek medical attention immediately, even if they do not think they have been injured. The air bag may have protected you, but you may have a dangerous injury with delayed symptoms that you are unaware of.
Defective Air bags
Another major issue with air bags over the past several years involves defective air bags. Tens of millions of vehicles have been recalled because long-term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause these air bags to explode when deployed. These air bags have sharp metal objects inside, which are like shrapnel. When the air bags explode, the vehicle is sprayed with this shrapnel, severely and fatally injuring victims caught in the vehicle.
Call Our Personal Injury Law Firm
A car accident can have long-lasting effects on a victim, both physically and emotionally. These injuries can also have a devastating impact on a victim’s financial health if they are unable to work while they recover. Seatbelts and air bags are designed to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a crash, but if these safety systems are defective, victims can suffer even more harm than the actual crash has caused.
If you have been injured from airbags in a crash, contact a Virginia product liability attorney from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp to find out what legal recourse you may have. Our personal injury firm has almost four decades of experience fighting for injured victims and getting them the financial justice they deserve, like the $750,000 settlement we were able to obtain for one client whose right hand was mangled so severely by a defective tool that doctors eventually had to amputate his thumb.
Call our office today for a free and confidential case evaluation.