Air Bag and Seat Belt Failure

Motor vehicle defects can lead to serious injury or death. At issue in cases involving defective automobiles or trucks is the concept of crashworthiness which refers to the ability of a vehicle to prevent injuries to the occupants in the event of a collision.

But automotive defect cases are not simply limited to issues of crashworthiness. For example, we recently handled a case where a woman suffered a fractured elbow as a result of an airbag deployment during a crash. The airbag deployed as intended, and was not itself defective. However, the woman was small in stature and the car maker knew, as a result of testing and development, that small women were at high risk for injury during airbag deployment. Yet, it posted no warning, and did nothing to limit the danger.

Another recent case that we assisted a client with, involved power door locks and power windows that would not work after a crash. Additionally, the seat belt would not release after the crash. We know these things because the crash victim used a cell phone to call and report the crash and to report being trapped. As a result, though the driver survived the crash, the driver was trapped inside the vehicle and a fire ignited and the driver perished. The automotive company involved knew that these dangers existed, but did nothing to warn about the danger.

Passenger vehicles must meet federal standards specifying minimum safety levels, but some vehicles perform better than others. Additionally, though standards help improve overall safety, many dangers are not addressed in government safety regulations. If you have been injured in an automobile-related accident, and the injury was caused by a defective or poorly designed component, call today to schedule a consultation with an experienced products liability attorney.