Injuries Caused By Air Bag Deployment

Vehicle air bags can be traced back as far as 1941. The air bag invention is accredited to German engineer Walter Linderer and American John W. Hetrick. Hetrick’s designed air bags to reduce injuries during emergency braking and frontal collisions. Air bags are designed to save lives and, in most cases, they achieve what they were designed for, which is serving as a buffer between yourself and the steering wheel or dashboard. When a car’s air bags deploy, they come out of the dashboard or steering wheel at extremely high speed - about 100 mph. When an air bag deploys, it is hot and covered with chemicals and dust which assisted in the bag’s deployment. Air bags definitely save lives, but at times, they also result in the injury of vehicle occupants. This article will discuss how air bags work and common air bag-related injuries that are sustained as a result of air bag deployment.

How air bags work?

Air bags are made from light fabric. A driver’s air bag is in the steering wheel and the passenger air bag is behind a panel in the dashboard. ‘An airbag is about the size of a large beach ball when fully inflated’. The passenger air bag is much larger than the driver’s airbag due to the distance between the passenger and the dashboard. Most modern vehicles have side air bags. Air bag deployment is connected to the crash sensor. An airbag will deploy if the car gets into a crash of sufficient intensity. Deployment is often associated with head-on or near head-on collisions. In a severe crash, the crash sensor will trigger an igniter to produce gas which fills the air bag and deploys it. The air bag deploys in about 1/20th of a second which is why the air bag comes out so fast. Thereafter, the airbag almost immediately deflates. When the airbag deploys, it releases various kinds of chemicals and dust which can irritate the eyes and skin.

With airbags, timing is everything. The time between the triggering of the crash sensor and the deployment of the air bag, can mean the difference between life and death in a car accident. If an air bag deploys a second too late, it could cause serious injuries. This is because the driver or the passenger’s head is too close to the airbag. Common air bag related injuries which result from the deployment include the following:

-The speed at which the air bag deployed can cause abrasions or bruises

-The chemicals released upon deployment can irritate or result in an asthma attack

-Air bags can cause severe injuries if the air bag hits your eye

Even a proper deployment can result in serious or fatal injuries if seat occupants are too close when the airbag deploys.

Have you suffered an injury as a result of the deployment of an air bag? Are you seeking legal advice in respect of such an injury? Seek out personal injury Anchorage attorneys for a free case evaluation and legal advice on how to proceed.

For information on personal injury claims, the author recommends the Crowson Law Group.

Are you a victim of medical malpractice? If you are looking for accident claims advice, the author recommends the Crowson Law Group.