What are Airbags?

Airbags are essential life-saving safety devices in your vehicle. They have saved many lives when the vehicle has been involved in an accident. It is a restraint system that is designed to supplement the conventional seat belt. The complete airbag system consists of an Electronic Control Unit which is the diagnostic unit, crash-sensors and the airbag unit consisting of folded bags and inflators. Newer vehicles also have an airbag deactivation system. The bag itself is located in the steering-wheel pad and/or instrumentation panel. Driver and passengers have separate airbags and the driver’s bag is a little smaller due to space constraints. It basically provides a softer cushioning between the human body and the hard parts of the vehicle. 

How they work 

When a sudden deceleration occurs, the sensors activate the airbag system. The inflators are activated by a mechanical switch. A mixture of sodium azide and potassium nitrate is created resulting in the production of nitrogen gas which fills up the bags.

Airbag Defects

Though airbags can save your life, a defective or malfunctioning airbag can pose a hazard in itself. Some common malfunctions are:

• Excessive force of deployment due to single-force inflators
• Faulty crash-sensor which inflates when not required/doesn’t inflate when required
• Faulty design: Horizontal instead of Vertical direction of deployment
• Faulty/non-functioning tethers
• Inadequate testing on range of dummies
• Outdated technology

Common Airbag Injuries 

When the airbag fails to deploy, or deploys in a faulty manner, deploys unnecessarily or too early/late, it becomes an extremely dangerous device to have inside a moving vehicle. Children, senior citizens, heavier people, people of shorter stature etc are especially vulnerable. Injuries usually occur to the head, face and upper torso. Traumatic injuries to arms and chest are common.

It’s a tragic fact that airbag injuries are more common than people think. Automobile manufacturers across the world, manufacturing a range of vehicles, have been compelled to recall millions of vehicles due to faulty airbags. There are instances where an airbag has deployed simply because the vehicle went into a pothole.

Some of the common airbag injuries that result from such malfunction are:

• Broken bones
• Fracture/dislocation of skull, facial bones, neck, torso
• Brain injury
• Spinal/Neck injury
• Rib-cage injury
• Blindness
• Hearing loss
• Facial injuries
• Decapitation
• Asthma and respiratory problems
• Contact burns due to friction
• Burns due to melting of fabrics
• Burns due to hot gases 

What to Do in Case of Airbag Injury

Manufacturers are required to fulfill safety commitments to their customers. If you or a loved one has been injured due to a faulty/malfunctioning airbag, you’re entitled to compensation.  Our law firm in Ontario can certainly assist you to seek maximum compensation in case of airbag injury. Our well-qualified, experienced and skilled defective products lawyers can conduct their own independent investigation, garner expert testimony and witnesses, get the proper technical and medical data and put together a strong case for you.

A matter of extreme importance is the fixing of liability or responsibility for a defective product. Our personal injury lawyers work as a part of a legal team and look at all aspects of an airbag injury case. In general, the vehicle manufacturer is liable, even if they have not manufactured the airbag themselves. However, since they have installed the product in a vehicle made by them and which they intended to sell to the customer, they are liable. Another issue could be that the vehicle itself has defective ancillary parts which resulted in the airbag malfunction. If it was a specific component that resulted in malfunction, the manufacturer of that component is also liable along with the auto manufacturer.

Why You Need a Skilled Lawyer

Our firm offers the services of a free consultation injury lawyer who can look at the details of your case and provide genuine advice about the possible outcome of your case. Insurance companies may be quite willing to settle small claims, but for serious injuries, only an experienced attorney can determine your rights, provide the right legal representation/advice, safeguard your interests and also look into long-term compensation issues.

Airbag injuries may result in:

• Long-term medical/care-giver expenses
• Loss of career/income
• Psychological pain and trauma
• Serious physical disability/injury
• Loss of mobility
• Lost prospects

Insurance companies may delay payment of compensation, deny claims, contest items or offer partial payments. Delays could result in the statute of limitations running out, which insurers take advantage of. Our lawyers can negotiate with insurers and also take the case to trial to ensure that you receive the maximum possible compensation for airbag injury.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333.