The Effects of Airbag Deployment In Your Car Accident Claim

There’s little doubt the use of airbags as a life-saving feature has helped enhance the safety of many motor vehicles on the road today. Over the past two decades, front end airbags are now standard in any passenger vehicle. While this has improved overall mortality rates for individuals involved in traumatic crashes, there are still situations that interfere with the effectivity of this equipment.

Organizations like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have found drivers not wearing seatbelts and sensor malfunctions can interfere with airbag deployment when it matters most. Anytime a car accident involves airbag deployment or the lack thereof, it’s important to understand how this may affect your injury claim.

Airbag Deployment During Car Accidents Helps Injury Claims

Insurance adjusters are out to save money in any way possible, but when an airbag deploys during an automobile accident, they treat the claim more seriously. This has to do with the conditions that have to take place to make an airbag go off in the first place. Generally, auto accidents involving deployment will have an impact equivalent to at least 14 mph or higher, but this isn’t a definitive number. The software that controls this equipment also takes in other variables like the weight of the driver.

Airbags do minimize possible injury to drivers and their passengers, but you can still get hurt when hit by it. It’s important to have yourself checked out after a motor vehicle collision for this reason.

Common Airbag Injuries During a Car Accident

Airbags won’t have nearly the same safeguarding effect if you don’t have your seatbelt on when it deploys during a car wreck. This scenario can leave you with catastrophic injuries or fatally injure you due to the amount of force required to inflate this important device. It takes less than a second for these bags to reach full deployment, so without wearing proper restraints while driving, you risk hitting the steering wheel or getting hurt during an airbag initially launching.

Some of the devastating injuries you might receive from an airbag include:

• Trauma to the face and head
• Spinal fractures
• Cardiac injuries
• Soft tissue damage
• Injury to your eye socket
• Lung injuries
• Loss of hearing or sight
• Abrasions, contusions, and lacerations
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Broken bones
• Internal organ damage and bleeding
• Musculoskeletal damage

These types of airbag-related injuries received during a sudden vehicle collision have a heavy influence on the settlement amounts the insurance company might offer you. It’s critical that you work with appropriate medical providers and personal injury attorneys to represent your needs during such a difficult time in your life.

My Car Airbag Didn’t Deploy During a Car Accident, Now What?

When your airbags don’t deploy during a motor vehicle collision, you worry that the equipment suffered a serious failure, or your insurance company acts like your loss isn’t that bad. The reality is that for a sensor to activate an airbag to release, several factors will influence it during the moment of impact:

• The direction of the impact
• Speed
• Airbag system design
• Crash sensor location

Just because a vehicle struck yours doesn’t mean airbags will automatically launch to save you from injury because of these reasons. Every car system operates differently, and sometimes airbag sensors don’t work. Minor fender-benders should only require a seatbelt restraint to hold your body back if rear-ended at a low speed. The whiplash or bruising you suffered from this experience is still a serious condition that requires care from your personal injury protection coverage and the liable party’s insurance.

Additional Reasons Why Airbags Fail To Deploy During A Motor Accident

Another reason for lack of deployment during an auto accident is the advanced frontal airbag system detecting no one sitting in the seat or someone like a child being there. Airbags are too dangerous when used on small children and could cause serious injuries or death. This is why it’s always important to buckle our children in the back seat.

Finally, there could be a manufacturer’s defect in the airbag design and software that caused it to not deploy when it should have. In situations like this, it’s critical to report this failure to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration right away. An experienced car accident attorney can help you figure out if there was a recall you didn’t receive notice of. If your car is a used vehicle, it’s possible a wreck had already occurred before and the airbags were never replaced.

Our Best Car Accident Attorneys Understand Airbag Deployment

Enduring a car accident is a frightening experience, but surviving a crash and not knowing why your airbags had deployed or not is worrisome as well. Proving the seriousness of your case is essential, when seeking needed compensation, to get you on the road to recovery. Insurance companies take airbag equipment under consideration when evaluating the evidence of your claim. Don’t risk denial, and speak with a knowledgeable auto accident lawyer about your airbag experience to learn how it will affect your outcome.

You and your family need support during traumatic times like this, and hiring a reputable attorney with a demonstrated track record for getting favorable verdicts and settlements is crucial. A skilled personal injury counsel will secure compensation for things like:

• Medical expenses
• Loss of wages and future work
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Quality of life issues

At The Barnes Firm, our experienced and trusted car accident lawyers have supported our clients through the tragedy of car crashes and successfully brought their cases to trial. Our firm is a proud member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum because of our ability to get some of our clients’ settlements in excess of a million dollars for their car accident claims. With more than a thousand cases and top-tier talent working for our firm, you should contact our highly-qualified attorneys today to learn more about how our services will benefit your case.

The Barnes Firm (800) 800-0000

Richard Barnes – President of The Barnes Firm

Richard Barnes: “As President of The Barnes Firm, I have dedicated my career to achieving justice in hundreds of cases for the victims of injuries caused through the fault of others. Additionally, I have been honored to have been elected Best Lawyer and a Super Lawyer”

Years of Experience: 30+ years
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