Airbag Injury Liability – Can You Collect Damages?

While airbags exist in vehicles to protect and save us, they can also cause injuries. In an accident, airbags fully deploy in less than one second, with an unbelievable amount of speed and force that is required to deploy it quickly enough for it to inflate before the driver or passenger hits the steering wheel or dashboard. 

Such speed and force comes at a cost, as studies have shown an increase in broken bones and shoulder injuries as a result of the force exuded by airbag deployment. Depending on the type of injury caused by the airbag, liability may be placed on the manufacturer of the airbag, the vehicle, or the driver who caused the accident.

A more unexpected injury from an inflating airbag is hearing loss. The side air bags in car are generate a sound of 178 decibels, 20% higher than the level necessary to cause permanent severe hearing loss. As this injury is becoming more common, it's highly recommended to get checked out by a doctor following any accident in which an airbag deploys. If there is a resulting injury, seek legal advice to determine if you could recover money damages from the responsible party.

Our San Diego law office represented a man in a driver's side impact case whereby the airbag deployed, causing hearing loss. Because this was a consequence of an accident caused by another, our attorney Anthony Laureti was able to collect money damages for the injury.

If you or someone you know have been involved in an accident of which an injury was caused or suspected to be caused by an airbag, contact us today for a free consultation.