Airbag Defects and Injuries

Air bags are supplemental safety devices installed in cars to help reduce injuries and deaths in automobile accidents. They work by lessening the chance a passenger or driver’s upper body or head will strike the interior of the car during a crash. Frontal and side-impact air bags deploy in moderate to severe crashes, limiting the range of motion inside the car.

Sensors in the vehicle, including an onboard computer, called the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), analyze crash information and send a signal to the air bags to inflate if the problem is serious. Immediately, the air bags inflate at a high speed with great force. Driver and passenger airbags usually deploy within 60-80 milliseconds after the first moment of vehicular contact. Air bags help to save lives, with estimates claiming fatality reductions of 8% when worn in conjunction with a seatbelt.

Although air bags are a beneficial safety device, they can sometimes harm people inside a vehicle. Common airbag injuries include abrasions, hearing damage, head injuries, eye damage for spectacle wearers, broken noses, fingers, hands, and arms, and thermal burns. In 1994, the first fatality attributed to an airbag was recorded. Because air bags must inflate extremely quickly, at the rate of about 220 miles per hour, most grave injuries occur when a person is extremely close to the air bag because of being injured or unconscious. In addition, injuries occur when air bags accidentally deploy due to faulty sensors or measuring devices.

If you have suffered injuries due to an airbag, contact the experienced personal injury lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier today at 800.369.5990.