Airbags and the Prevention of Injuries
I’m Ed Smith, a Stockton Personal Injury Lawyer. Over the years, new technology has been developed to improve passenger safety, such as cross-traffic alert, lane departure assist, and even rear view cameras. One of the focuses has also been on the technology of airbags. When someone is involved in a traumatic auto accident, the impact usually trips the sensors located on all sides of the vehicle. When the sensors are tripped, the vehicle’s airbags deploy and inflate quickly to cushion the driver or passenger’s impact on various parts of the vehicle. By softening the collision between the inside of the car and it’s occupants, traumatic injuries, such as bone fractures, might be avoided. Of course, this is all predicated on whether the driver and passenger were properly wearing their seat belt.
As more research shows the effectiveness of airbags in preventing catastrophic personal injuries, many vehicles today feature brand new models of airbags that have been significantly improved over prior generations. Newer vehicles began to add airbags to the rear and sides of cars as well. Many cars now have side curtain airbags and even airbags at the knees of passengers to prevent traumatic knee injuries. Of course, airbags have not gone without their problems. Sometimes, airbags have to be recalled due to issues with their inflation. When a product is recalled, it means that manufacturers have identified some fundamental problem in its production that causes it to malfunction.
The New Generation of Airbags: Has Safety Improved?
In the past few decades, countless studies have shown that airbags decrease the rates of injuries and deaths in car accidents when airbags deploy in conjunction with the proper use of seat belts. Recently, research has demonstrated serious thoracic injuries for drivers who are unrestrained when they collide with the airbags. An extensive literature review showed that airbags can reduce the percentage of deaths by as much as 30 percent when used correctly. However, research also demonstrated that severe chest trauma can result in unrestrained drivers who collide with airbags. Specifically, if a side airbag hits the rib cage of an unrestrained driver, it can lead to substantial damage to the left ventricle of the heart. This is the chamber that pumps blood from the heart to the rest of the body. If this chamber is damaged, it can place someone in a hospital for an extended period of time. This is in addition to the rib fractures that often result when an airbag deploys.
The Next Steps for Drivers and Passengers
While new technology is supposed to improve quality of life, new airbags could be exposing people to unnecessary thoracic injuries. That is why more research should be done into these airbags so that their impact on chest trauma in car accidents can be explored further. Damage to the left ventricle can lead to chronic complications and potentially place someone on heart failure medications for a lifetime.
Personal Injury Lawyers in Stockton
I’m Ed Smith, a Stockton Personal Injury Lawyer. Airbags are supposed to save lives but sometimes they can cause serious injuries if there’s a malfunction. If you or a family member has been injured in an accident involving an airbag deployment, call me for free, friendly advice at (209) 227-1931 or toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
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