At Sanders & Nettles, our aggressive South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers have extensive experience in auto products liability and defective products related matters. Our skilled team of lawyers will investigate the facts, assess your claim, and establish which parties are to be held responsible for the injuries suffered by our clients. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a serious airbag defect injury in South Carolina, contact Sanders & Nettles immediately for a free consultation.
Airbags were invented and designed to keep drivers and passengers safe when they are involved in automobile accidents. Upon impact, the airbag deploys and prevents the individual from coming into contact with hard surfaces, such as the dashboard or steering wheel, therefore decreasing the chance for death, brain injuries, and other serious physical injuries.
Although airbags were designed with safety in mind, there are many instances where airbags cause harm rather than prevent it. There have been many reports of airbags failing to inflate upon impact, as well as reports of airbags deploying when no accident has occurred. Airbag malfunctions have resulted in fatalities and many serious injuries, including facial fractures, head injury, eye injury, and blindness. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that approximately 227 people of various ages have died as the result of airbag injuries since 1990.
Design and manufacturing defects may be the cause of many airbag injuries. Most vehicles display visible airbag warnings to inform drivers and passengers of the possible hazards associated with the use of airbags. If an airbag fails to inflate upon impact a person may experience serious injuries. Also, if an airbag deploys when there is no accident or impact, an individual may suffer from serious physical injuries.
It is always advised that adults place children in the back seat of any vehicle, because it is commonly the safest area for a child. With that in mind, it is very important to have all children in the back seat when a vehicle has front airbags. Airbags were designed to provide safety for adults weighing approximately 180 pounds and measuring in at about 5'8". The results of recent airbag studies show that children and adults smaller than the "average adult size" are at a higher risk for airbag related injuries.