Airbags save thousands of lives each year, but they can also cause serious injuries when they deploy. Even when an airbag functions properly, the force of deployment can result in painful and sometimes permanent injuries. If another driver’s negligence caused the crash, or if a defective airbag contributed to your injuries, you may have the right to seek compensation.
Contact a St. Louis car accident lawyer today to pursue the compensation you deserve.
Call our firm at (314) 300-6260.
How Airbags Help Protect Vehicle Occupants
Airbags are designed to do one thing: cushion your body during a collision so you don’t strike the steering wheel, dashboard, or windows. To do that job, they must deploy incredibly fast, inflating in a fraction of a second at speeds that can exceed 100 miles per hour. That explosive speed is exactly why deployment itself can hurt you.
Common Airbag Injuries
Because an airbag strikes the upper body at high speed, the injuries it causes tend to follow predictable patterns. Some of the most common airbag injuries include:
- Facial injuries, including cuts, bruising, fractures, and eye injuries
- Burns and abrasions from the friction of the fabric against skin
- Neck and back injuries caused by the sudden force of impact
- Chest and rib injuries, ranging from bruising to fractured ribs
- Hand, wrist, and shoulder injuries, especially for drivers gripping the wheel
- Head injuries and concussions from the blow of the deploying bag
- Hearing damage caused by the loud blast of deployment
- Chemical burns from the propellants that inflate the airbag
Any of these injuries can require significant medical treatment, and some, like eye damage, hearing loss, or head trauma, can affect you for the rest of your life.
Who May Be Liable for an Airbag Injury?
Depending on how your crash and injuries occurred, one or more parties may owe you compensation.
Negligent Driver
If another driver’s careless behavior, like speeding, distraction, drunk driving, caused the collision that triggered the airbag, that driver may be liable for the injuries that followed.
Vehicle or Airbag Manufacturer
If a defect contributed to your injuries, whether in the vehicle’s airbag system as a whole or in a specific component like a faulty inflator or sensor, the vehicle maker or the airbag manufacturer may be held responsible under product liability law.
Other Potentially Responsible Parties
Depending on the circumstances, liability may also extend to repair shops, parts distributors, or employers of at-fault drivers.
An experienced St. Louis personal injury attorney can identify every responsible party.
How Insurance Companies May Challenge Airbag Injury Claims
Even when your injuries are obvious to you, expect the insurance company to push back. Adjusters commonly argue that:
- Your injuries were minor and don’t justify significant compensation
- Your symptoms existed before the accident
- Your airbag injuries healed quickly and left no lasting effects
- Your medical treatment was unnecessary or excessive
These tactics are designed to reduce what the insurer pays, and don’t always reflect what really happened. Strong medical documentation and skilled legal representation are the best answers to every one of them.
If an airbag injured you in a crash caused by someone else’s negligence or by a defect, you shouldn’t have to bear the costs alone.
Contact our office today for a free consultation.