Airbags are supposed to deploy in a split-second to help keep occupants safe during a car accident; however, in some cases, airbags have deployed for no reason at all or have failed to deploy at all. When airbags don’t perform like they should, they can cause more harm to drivers and passengers than the impact from the collision would have caused them.
The Cause of Airbag Defects
There are several different reasons why airbags can be defective and could be the result of one of the following:
- Cheap materials
- Poor design
- Manufacturing error
- Oversized airbags
- Untethered airbags
- Under inflated airbag deployment
- Deployment failure
- Unnecessary deployment
- Defective sensors
- Defective inflators
Defective Airbags Produce Injuries
While there are many different reasons airbags can be defective, thousands were recently injured as a result of Takata airbag inflators improperly exploding. As a result, metal shards were sent flying into vehicle occupants. Because of the energy behind the deployment of airbags, the metal shrapnel forcefully sprayed drivers and passengers, causing serious injuries such as:
- Lacerations and contusions
- Abrasions and bruises
- Fractures and broken bones
- Burns
- Eye, eyebrow, and eyelid injuries
- Ear trauma or hearing loss
- Broken nose
- Neck injuries
- Facial injuries
- Trauma to the fetus of pregnant women
- Fatal injuries
Many of the victims injured were cut, sliced, or punctured by metal pieces and required reconstructive surgery to repair the injuries to their faces, necks, chests, and damages to their bodies. The types of injuries vary from minor to serious because many different body parts are exposed to airbags. While some people suffered lacerations, others sustained irreversible eye damage and deformities.
When vehicle occupants are injured or killed as a result of defective airbags, auto manufacturers should be held accountable for such defects. This is because auto makers are responsible for making sure their vehicles are safe. When a system malfunctions, like a vehicle’s airbag system, auto manufacturers should be held liable for such damages including victims’ medical bills, cosmetic or reconstructive surgeries, rehabilitation, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and much more.
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