Defective Products: Airbags
Airbags save lives, but when they are defective, they take can take lives.
There are a number of ways an airbag can fail. Among the defects:
- Failing to deploy.
- Deploying randomly, without being triggered by an accident.
- Deploying unnecessarily in low-speed accidents.
- Deploying with too much force.
- Deploying too late.
- Deploying too early.
- Sending metal projectiles out during deployment.
Airbags, by necessity, must deploy quickly and with enough force to protect the driver or passenger. But when an airbag malfunctions, the injuries are typically to vital upper body areas, which can make them life threatening. Injuries include:
- Brain injury
- Blindness
- Hearing loss
- Broken bones
- Decapitation
- Spinal injuries
If you have been hurt by an airbag and suspect it was defective, a personal injury attorney from the law firm of Chanfrau & Chanfrau in Daytona Beach can defend your rights in a defective airbags lawsuit, including claims for compensation.
With all the potential issues involved, it comes as no surprise that airbag lawsuits can be complex. They often require expert testimony on how the airbag’s flaw caused additional injury. This can be complicated in cases where an airbag deployed improperly in an accident and left the driver or passenger with injuries they would not otherwise have suffered. Your car, particularly the remnants of the air bag housings, may be essential in proving your case.
Experienced product liability attorneys are skilled in preserving key evidence in personal injury cases. They have the know-how to secure records from the police, wreckage yards, vehicle event data recorder (black box) experts, other drivers, and insurance companies to determine if a defective airbag killed or injured occupants in the vehicle or caused unnecessary injuries.
Tracking down all possible insurance avenues and investigating product defects is complex and typically beyond the average citizen’s experience. If a loved one has been lost or permanently handicapped by injuries, the financial consequences ripple throughout the family. If just compensation is not received, the financial damage alone can lead to the loss of a home, loss of vehicles, and loss of a college education, to list just a few scenarios.
If you or a loved one has been killed or injured by a defective airbag you may be able to pursue compensation for:
- Lost wages, present and future
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of benefits
- Loss of companionship
You may also be able to seek punitive damages as well.
If you are faced with an unyielding insurance company or a phalanx of corporate lawyers, you will need an experienced team on your side. The lawyers at Chanfrau & Chanfrau have decades of legal experience defending people’s right to just compensation in defective product cases. They understand what it takes to pursue an insurance company that attempts to underpay. They also have experience going after manufacturers.
If you suspect a defective airbag caused unnecessary injuries, Chanfrau & Chanfrau attorneys will review your case free of charge and give you guidance on appropriate next steps.