Car accidents can cause a number of different injuries to the people involved. It may be surprising that some of the safety measures included to minimize auto accident injuries, like airbags, can themselves cause injuries to passengers! However, airbag injuries are not as uncommon as you might think. If you have been injured due to the deployment of an airbag in a car accident, you may want to consult an auto accident lawyer who can help you determine the next legal steps to take.
How do airbags work?
An airbag is specially designed with light fabric to stop major injuries from happening to the passengers in the front seats (usually) of a vehicle in the event of a car accident. The airbag for the driver’s seat is inside the steering wheel, while the passenger airbag is located behind a panel on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat.
The airbag on the driver’s side is around the size of a beach ball when it is fully inflated, but the airbag on the passenger side can be much larger. The passenger airbag needs to be larger because it is located further away from the passenger than the driver’s airbag is from the driver.
To protect passengers in the event of a crash from the side, there may be airbags located in the vehicle doors.
When a sufficiently severe crash happens, the crash sensor connected to the airbags will trigger, and the airbags will be deployed. These sensors usually detect any head-on or near-head-on crashes occurring at any speed above around 8-10 miles per hour.
The airbags are deployed in the following manner: the crash sensor triggers an igniter which produces a gas, usually nitrogen or argon. This gas fills the airbag, thus deploying it. The airbag will deploy in approximately one twentieth of a second, which is why it feels almost instantaneous if you have ever been in a crash and had the airbag deploy.
It will deflate almost immediately after that but can also release different kinds of dust and chemicals, which can irritate some people’s eyes or skin.
Airbag deployments gone wrong
The most serious error that can occur relating to airbag deployment is a crash sensor malfunction. The sensor could deploy the airbag at the wrong time; for example, when there is no crash and no reason for deployment. This is usually not as problematic as when the sensor does not deploy the airbags during a crash, which can lead to more severe passenger injuries.
The crash sensor might deploy one airbag and not the other one, or it could deploy the airbag a microsecond too late to prevent major and potentially life-threatening injuries. Even of a fraction of a second’s delay can cause serious injury because the passenger or driver’s head could be too close to where the airbag will be deployed.
Common airbag injuries
If an airbag’s crash sensor malfunctions, it can cause serious injuries and potentially even death. However, even a correctly functioning airbag can cause injury.
The quick speed at which the airbag deploys can cause burns or abrasions to the passenger or driver. The chemicals the airbag releases while deploying can irritate the airways and respiratory system and could trigger an asthma attack if someone close to the airbag has asthma. The airbag deployment can also cause major eye injuries.
Know your rights
If your airbag malfunctions, you can file a personal injury claim with the help of an auto accident lawyer. Your legal counsel must be able to prove that part of the airbag was defective before it was placed into your vehicle, or that the design of the airbag was somehow flawed and created a hazard. This argument is known as product liability.
Just being injured due to airbag deployment (or its failure to deploy) is not alone a viable basis to sue. However, if you believe you were the victim of a malfunctioning airbag, preserve as much evidence as you can, even if that means using your lawyer to help deal with an insurer who may want to take possession of the wrecked car after the accident.
