As an Investigator for Law firms in years past, I have seen many clients who had these types of injuries. Some of these injuries were minor, some were more severe. The very things that were designed to save us during a car accident, injuries us in the process. I will never forget seeing a young woman who was struck head-on.
The airbag deployed, but in doing so, burned her face. However, it did limit her injuries from the accident, but deployment injured her for life. I had personal friend who was driving with her hand across the steering wheel, a car pulled out in front her and the assuming damage caused the airbag to deploy. When it deployed, it slammed her arm into her head, breaking her arm.
What is an airbag ?
It is a safety device found in most modern vehicles. It is designed to inflate quickly during a collision, cushioning the occupants of the vehicle from the impact and helping to reduce the risk of serious injury. Most cars and trucks today have more than just frontal collision safety features , they may have side, rear or curtain airbags.
How does an airbag work?
An airbag works by using a small explosive device to rapidly inflate a nylon bag when the sensor detects a collision or crash. The explosive device is triggered by a signal from the crash sensors located in the car, and it is inflated with a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen gas. The airbag is designed to provide a cushion for the head, neck and chest of the car’s occupants, protecting them from the impact of the crash.
What type of injuries can I suffer?
Because an airbag is so close to your body during an accident, you can suffer mild to severe injuries from it deploying to no injuries at all. Some common airbag deployment injuries are
- Broken bones- Mostly arms or hands that are over the steering wheel during a crash
- Abrasion to the face, chest, hands
- Burns to the face, hands, or chest- caused by the inflation of the airbag
- Contusion
- Strain
- Concussion injuries
- Eye injury-Shards of metal could penetrate your eye if you have a faulty airbag
- Hearing loss
- Trauma to a fetus
- Internal bleeding
- Irritation in the throat- Breathing in the gases left over after the discharge
- Irritation of the skin
What can go wrong with an airbag deploying
- Sensor malfunction that may cause the airbag to deploy at the wrong time, or not at all
- Dangerous gases could be inhaled from the deployment or inflation
- Shards of metal can shoot through the cabin
Takata recalls
One of the company that manufactures airbags, Takata, had the largest safety recall in history of the NHTSA. This recall affected 34 different manufactures. 67 million airbags were recalled. The problem is with the inflator. The inflator explodes and the surrounding metal housing ruptures and send shards of metal throughout the passenger cabin.
Minor car accidents may not cause airbag deployment
Some people are under the impression that any car accident should cause the airbags to deploy, this simply is not true. In some car accidents, you do not want them deploying. The deployment may cause more injury than the car accident. You want airbags to deploy when the injury caused by the car accident would be more severe.
The cost of replacing airbags is not cheap. The drivers side, is part of the steering wheel and modules have to be replaced. One might cost as much as 1000.00. Airbag deployment is not economical from an injury and auto damage standpoint unless significant damage would result to a person if they did not deploy. In most cases, severe damage to the car, but the occupants walk away or come away with less severe injuries.
In my years as an investigator I have seen some clients who wanted to sue the manufacturer for the airbags not deploying. I might add, if they would have deployed, the injuries would have been more severe and the car possibly would have been totaled. A car totaled for airbag deployment? YES. If more than two airbags go off , you may be looking at over 3k in damages. If the car is over 5 years old, combined with the other damages, it might be a total loss.
Is there anyway to prevent Airbag deployment injuries?
There a couple of things one might do to try and prevent airbag injuries, these might be
- Drive with your hands on the steering wheel, not across it.
- Do not allow children to sit were an airbag is present unless you can turn it off ( unless they are of age )
- Always wear your seatbelt
- Adjust your seat so your body is at-least 10 inches away from the steering wheel- I can tell you how many times I have seen elderly people driving with there chest almost touching the steering wheel.
- If there is a recall on your vehicle, get it fixed. It will cost you nothing to do so
These are just a few things you can do to try and prevent air bag injuries. Airbags save a lot of lives every year. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen someone walk away from a crash that looked devastating.