Airbag Injuries

Airbags are one of the most important safety innovations of the 21st century. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that frontal airbags saved close to 50,000 lives since they were widely introduced. When combined with a seat belt, airbags reduced risks of death by 52 percent for drivers and front seat adult passengers. Side airbags provide additional protection, reducing risk of a driver’s fatality or injuries by 41 percent.

Because of their effectiveness, Fort Worth personal injury attorney Bill Berenson supports the government mandate that requires auto manufacturers to install airbags in vehicles. However, our auto accident lawyer recognize the devastating injuries caused by airbag deployment and pursue the maximum damages possible for your airbag injuries.

How do airbags work?

When Mr. Berenson first starting practicing personal injury law firm 40 years ago, he regularly represented clients who were thrown violently into the steering wheel or dashboard during an accident. Airbags create a cushion that protects occupants from being thrown against these hard surfaces and have substantially reduced serious head and facial injuries.

When the vehicle collides with another object, sensors instantly measure the severity of the impact. A serious collision triggers canisters to release gas that inflates the airbags, which deploy into the car’s cabin within a fraction of a second.

Why airbags cause injuries

The speed of airbag deployment can reach up to 200 mph. This high velocity is necessary to totally inflate the airbags before your body has the chance to hit a hard surface within your car. However this tremendous force can cause serious injuries to your:

• Neck, including cervical spine fracture, soft tissue injuries and whiplash
• Eyes, especially if you were wearing sunglasses or spectacles
• Chest, such as broken ribs and cardiac damage
• Shoulders, such as dislocation, fractures or rotator cuff injuries

Children are at substantial risk of severe air bag injuries

Parents are instructed to place their babies and children younger than 12 in the back seat in an appropriate child seat or restraint system. These guidelines were specially designed to protect children from airbags. A deploying airbag can cause fatal injuries when it strikes a young child, including infants and toddlers strapped into an appropriate car seat.

Airbags are considered dangerous to children because of their small bodies. Seniors and adults with small frames may be placed at similarly heightened risk of airbag injuries.

Airbag damages can exacerbate pre-existing injuries

If you already had an injury at the time of your crash, airbag deployment can exacerbate your condition. Insurance companies may argue that you are not entitled to compensation for a pre-existing condition. However, our attorney defeats this common defense tactic to recover damages related to the worsening of your injury.

Defective airbags responsible for deadly injuries

Approximately 34 million Takata airbags are under recall for a deadly defect. The canisters that deploy the airbags may explode in humid weather such as we have in Dallas-Fort Worth and send metal shards flying into the car cabin. 12 people have died and 180 people have been seriously injured when the shrapnel wounded the occupants. Many of the crashes were at such low speed that the victims would have otherwise likely sustained only minor injuries. Our firm is available to help victims file for compensation for injuries resulting from an airbag defect.

Contact an experienced Fort Worth-based auto crash attorney to recover for your airbag injuries

Car and truck occupants can sustain injuries from airbags deployment during a crash. Berenson Injury Law can help you recover your damages for serious airbag injuries and for injuries caused by defective vehicles. Schedule your free claims evaluation with our Fort Worth auto accident attorney. We resolve your claim on contingency, meaning you are not responsible for attorneys’ fees or expenses unless we recover damages for you.