An airbag may save your life in a car accident. Your body will whip around after a collision, and an airbag will block you from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard. But in protecting you, an airbag can also injure you.
Fortunately, the law treats airbag injuries like any other car crash injuries. If you were hurt in a motor vehicle collision in Lakewood, CO, Matos Personal Injury Lawyers can evaluate your claims and explain the compensation you can seek under Colorado law.
Contact our Lakewood airbag injury lawyers at (720) 912-7274 for a free case assessment to discuss your options.
How Our Lakewood Car Accident Attorneys Can Help You With an Airbag Injury Case
Matos Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in 2016 to provide legal representation to injured people in Lakewood, Colorado. Our attorneys have over 39 years of combined legal experience fighting at-fault parties and their insurers on behalf of our injured clients.
If you suffer an injury due to someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions, our Lakewood car accident lawyers can provide the following:
- A free consultation to discuss your situation and educate you about your rights
- Personal attention to you and your case as we fight for fair compensation
- Courtroom experience to litigate your claim if the other parties refuse to settle
An airbag injury can cause painful or even fatal injuries to the face, head, and neck. Contact our Lakewood personal injury lawyers to discuss your car crash and how we can help you pursue financial compensation for your injuries.
How Many Airbag Injuries Happen?
Airbags have killed at least 290 motorists and injured thousands more. However, these statistics do not reflect the risks of airbags in newer vehicles.
U.S. law required auto manufacturers to include frontal airbags starting with the 1999 model year. The U.S. also implemented regulations so manufacturers knew what to install. In 1998, the regulations set a lower limit on airbag inflators than manufacturers had previously used.
This reduction of power made airbags significantly safer. Of the 290 airbag deaths, 90% happened before 1998.
U.S. regulators also found that children have a significantly higher risk of injury from airbags. Manufacturers were required to add sensors and switches to manually disable airbags starting in the 2007 model year. Roughly 90% of the 290 airbag fatalities were children or infants.
Thus, properly functioning airbags in post-1998 vehicles very rarely kill occupants. However, they can cause non-fatal injuries.
Causes and Effects of Airbag Injuries
Airbags contain three main parts. The vehicle has a sensor mounted to detect front-end collisions. It does not activate when the vehicle gets hit in a side-impact or rear-end collision.
The sensor triggers an inflator. The inflator contains chemicals that react to quickly produce a massive amount of gas.
The gas goes to the airbag. This bag includes vents, so it inflates quickly but deflates slowly when you hit it. In this way, the airbag catches you and slows down your motion rather than bounding you away.
Airbags can cause a range of injuries. Fatal injuries are rare and typically happen in only three narrow situations. Non-fatal injuries, on the other hand, can occur in almost any crash.
Non-Fatal Airbag Injuries
When your body or head strikes the airbag, the force exerted deflates it. The airbag absorbs this force and slows down your motion.
But every force creates an equal and opposite force. The airbag pushes back on your head and body.
This reaction force can cause injuries such as:
- Bruises to the chest and face
- Broken facial bones
- Fractured ribs
- Neck strain
Airbags are also packed with a powdery coating. This coating prevents the airbag from sticking to itself. When it deploys, the powder can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat.
Fatal Airbag Injuries
Fatal injuries typically happen only in three circumstances:
- The victim was a child or a short adult
- The victim was not wearing a seat belt
- The airbag was defective
People with shorter stature often sit closer to the dashboard or steering wheel. Instead of hitting the airbag after inflation, children and short adults might hit the airbag while it inflates. The inflation force can cause the victim’s head to snap back, producing a fatal neck or brain injury.
Manufacturers designed airbags to work with seat belts. When you do not wear a seat belt, you might hit the airbag with too much force. You might also bounce off the airbag and hit the door or side window.
Finally, Takata airbags were installed on tens of millions of American cars. These airbags had faulty inflators that could explode and send shrapnel into the vehicle occupant’s face and neck. Regulators identified over 400 injuries and 26 deaths from these defective products.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation With Our Lakewood Airbag Injury Attorneys
An airbag can cause serious or even fatal injuries to the face, head, chest, and neck. Contact Matos Personal Injury Lawyers at (720) 912-7274 for a free consultation to discuss your car accident and the compensation you can seek for your injuries.