Can You Seek Compensation for Airbag Injuries?
Airbags have improved survival rates for motorists over the past 20 years. They are so popular that manufacturers have installed airbags for passengers and even side airbags which will be inflated to protect a motorist from slamming their head against a window. Unfortunately, airbags are not without risk.
Some of them can cause injuries to motorists, leaving them in pain and with disability. Contact Karnas Law today to discuss your case. A car accident lawyer with our firm can review if you have a legal right to compensation.
You might sue the airbag manufacturer for your injuries or bring a claim against another driver.
What Causes Airbag Injuries?
Airbags are attached to a crash sensor and should deploy in under a second when the vehicle collides with a car or another object. However, some things can go wrong:
- The airbag takes too long to deploy;
- The propellant canister expels pieces of plastic, metal, or other shrapnel along with the bag, which cuts into a person’s face;
- The airbag deploys with too much force;
- Weakness in the material causes the bag to burst after being deployed.
Some airbags are defectively designed or manufactured, and they might be subject to a recall. In those cases, the airbag manufacturer could be to blame for your injuries. Otherwise, the person responsible for the crash must pay compensation for injuries sustained.
Common Airbag Injuries
Defective airbags can end up causing many types of injuries:
- Concussion and other traumatic brain injuries;
- Brain trauma, including internal hemorrhage;
- Facial fractures, including orbital fractures;
- Lacerations, puncture wounds, and burns;
- Eye injuries, including blindness or impaired vision;
- Broken nose;
- Dental injuries;
- Hearing loss due to an exploding eardrum;
- Fetal injuries if a passenger was pregnant.
These injuries are serious. They can require thousands of dollars in medical care, and you might end up missing work as you try to heal. Any physical injury will also cause discomfort, pain, inconvenience, and reduced enjoyment of life.
It’s also possible that a motorist could die if the airbag failed to deploy properly. In that case, surviving family members might have a legal right to bring an Arizona wrongful death claim.
Contact Us as Soon as Possible
When airbags fail to work properly, accident victims have options. Call Karnas Law Firm. We might want to inspect the car, including the airbag. For this reason, please hold off on getting your car repaired until you speak with our car accident lawyers.
We can look over the airbag compartment to see if there are defects in how it was put together, in which case we might sue the car manufacturer. You might also have a claim against a motorist who caused a wreck. For example, a distracted driver could have crossed the median and slammed head-on with your vehicle.
You can hold this type of distracted or negligent motorist accountable for a wreck. Call us today. We have obtained settlements to cover various economic losses, as well as pain and suffering.