Car Accident Lawyer Abingdon VA

Trust Explains the Potential Injuries When an Airbag Deploys

The first airbags were introduced in vehicles in the early 1970s and over the next two decades, all of the other automakers followed suit and airbag restraint systems became mandatory in all vehicles. When they were first introduced, airbags were usually only installed in the driver’s position and then it also became standard for automakers to include them for the front passenger position. In today’s vehicles, there are often multiple locations in a vehicle where airbags are stored, ready to inflate and protect occupants in the event of a crash. National statistics show that since 1987, airbags have saved approximately 50,000 lives.

At The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt, we know first-hand the role airbags can play in saving car accident victims lives. Many of our clients feel their lives were saved because airbags deployed when they crashed. However, each Car Accident Lawyer Abingdon VA offers from our firm also knows that some of the injuries car accident victims suffer are a result of that deployment. Read below for more information.

How Do Airbags Work?

Airbag restraint systems are comprised of a fabric bag, an airbag cushion, an impact sensor, and an inflation module. In the event of a collision, the airbag is inflated immediately, providing occupants in the vehicle with cushioning and restraint in order to protect them from injury. It does this by providing protection from dashboards, steering wheels, windshields, and the sides of the vehicle.

When a vehicle hits an object or is hit by another vehicle, it immediately begins to slow down very quickly. The airbag contains an electronic chip that can detect any change of speed. When that chip senses the forceful deceleration of the vehicle happening, it triggers the airbag circuit. The circuit then sends an electric current through a heating element, which then ignites a chemical explosive contained inside the airbag. This explosion causes a release of nontoxic gas that fills up the fabric bag, blowing the cover off where the airbag is stored as it inflates.

Airbag Deployment Injuries

Although airbags are meant to deploy in crashes that are moderate to severe, under the right set of circumstances, an airbag can be released at speeds under 10 miles-per-hour. The force of the airbag can cause serious – even fatal – injuries to the individual it is designed to protect. Particularly at risk for fatal injuries are children because of their size and where the airbag hit them when it deploys. This is why children under a certain age or size should never sit in the front passenger seat.

While airbag deployment fatalities are not that common, serious injuries are. Some of the more common include:

• Abrasions to face, arms, and hands
• Brain injuries, including concussions, swelling, and bruising
• Burns to chest, arms, and hands
• Cervical spine injuries
• Contusions to internal organs, face, chest, arms, and knees
• Ear trauma or hearing loss
• Eye injuries
• Facial fractures
• Fetal injury in pregnant women
• Fractures to arms and wrists
• Fractures to rib cage
• Fractures to skull
• Internal bleeding
• Lacerations to arteritis, brain stem, heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and veins
• Rupture of the heart muscle
• Wrist and finger injuries

Let an Abingdon VA Car Accident Lawyer Help

If you have been injured in a car accident, the legal team from The Mark T. Hurt Law Firm can help get you the financial compensation you deserve. Call our office today to meet with a car accident lawyer Abingdon VA clients recommend and learn what legal options you may have.

Client Review

“Mark took over my car accident case from another attorney that I fired. Mark worked hard on the case for several months to get ready for trial. Shortly before trial he got a settlement that was six times more than the offer my first lawyer tried to get me to take.”

Jerry C.