Defective Airbags Injuries
Under normal circumstances, airbags prevent more injuries than they cause. A defective airbag, on the other hand, can cause serious, life-threatening injuries. If you were hurt because of a defect in your vehicle’s airbags, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation.
At Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C., we don’t only work to get some compensation for our injured clients. Our NYC personal injury lawyers work to get the full compensation award you are entitled to. If you were hurt in an accident and suspect faulty airbags were to blame, give us a call today to schedule a free consultation with a New York City defective airbags lawyer.
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Why it’s Important to Hire a Lawyer to Protect Your Rights
Accident victims are entitled to hold the person who caused the accident responsible for damages. The at-fault party, however, rarely simply admits fault and gives you the full amount of money you’re entitled to. You have to make a formal claim for compensation based on evidence.
Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. has over 40 years of experience. We face off against large insurance corporations and defense attorneys on a regular basis. Our New York City personal injury attorneys know what to expect when we sit down at the negotiating table–and we have the skills needed to get the best results possible for you.
Defective airbags cases are particularly complex. We work with scientific and technical experts to identify the specific problem with the airbag in your vehicle. Our lawyers will:
- Investigate to determine whether your airbag functioned properly during the crash
- Handle all communications with the insurance companies and defense lawyers trying to minimize the value of your claim
- Fight back if the insurance company tries to put the blame on you
- Work with medical experts to properly value your claim so that you get compensation for the full cost of your injuries
Our lawyers are dedicated to getting justice for car accident victims across New York City. If you were hurt due to a defective airbag, don’t hesitate to call us for a free case review.
How Safe Are Airbags?
When a vehicle is involved in a crash, a signal is sent from an electric control panel into the inflator in the airbag itself. Airbags deploy in less than 1/20th of a second–meaning that drivers and passengers rarely have even a moment to react before the airbag inflates.
Overall, research shows that frontal airbags have saved over 50,457 lives since 1987 in the United States. Thousands more are saved by side-impact airbags. In adults, airbags reduce driver fatalities by about 29% and passenger fatalities by 32%. However, from 1990-2008, nearly 300 people were killed because of airbags–when functioning properly.
Millions of defective airbags could present a more significant danger going forward. Takata recalled about 41.6 million vehicles over the past few years because of a defect that caused airbags to explode, sending shrapnel flying. Even more recently, GM announced a recall of 4.3 million vehicles because of a software defect that prevented airbags from deploying.
High-Risk Groups: Dangers Presented by Airbag Deployment
Despite the safety benefits of airbags, certain groups are more vulnerable to airbag injuries even if the airbag is functioning properly. The NHTSA recommends that children under 13 sit in the back seat to prevent airbag injuries. Other high-risk groups may include:
- Adults with underlying health conditions
- Pregnant women
- Infants in rear-facing car seats
- Shorter drivers, who tend to sit closer to the steering wheel
- Elderly adults
In general, airbags are the safest when the driver or passenger is sitting further back from the airbag when it deploys. This is understandable, as an airbag can deploy with a force of 200mph.
Characteristics of a Defective Airbag
If you were hurt in an accident, it’s hard to know whether some type of defect in the airbag caused your injuries. That’s where your lawyers can help. Signs that your airbag may have been defective include:
- The airbags did not deploy in a serious accident
- The airbags deployed with excessive force
- The airbag deployed, but in a very minor accident
- The airbag deployed too slowly
- There was an explosion from the airbag–whether or not an accident happened
If you have any doubts, it’s always a good idea to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer. Our NYC personal injury law firm offers a free case review so that you can discuss options in your case for free. Give us a call today to learn more.
Defective Airbags Can Cause Serious Injuries
Defective airbags can cause any number of serious injuries. Some injuries can even prove fatal. Our personal injury lawyers at Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. have experience helping clients who have suffered:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Chest injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Eye injuries
- Facial lacerations and scarring
- Soft tissue injuries
- Organ damage
- Broken bones
- Burn injuries
- Wrongful death
Accident injuries tend to be much more severe if the airbag had a defect. Injuries can also be more serious when the person wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Determining whether the airbag was functioning as intended can be key to getting fair compensation for your injuries.
If you think you might have a case, call us today for a free consultation. Our NYC motor vehicle accident lawyers are here to review your case and discuss options for protecting your right to compensation.
Who Might Be Responsible for Defective Airbag Injuries?
In New York, you can hold anyone financially accountable if they were at least partly responsible for the crash. Our lawyers will work to identify all responsible parties, who might include:
- The airbag designer
- The manufacturer of a defective auto part
- A company involved in making a defective airbag
- At-fault drivers
- The employer of someone whose negligence contributed to the auto accident
Car accident cases involving defective airbags are handled a bit differently than ordinary car accidents. Most car accidents are caused by simple negligence.
If the airbag was a defective product you don’t have to show that anyone was negligent to get compensation. The company responsible can be held strictly liable under product liability laws. Still, it is necessary to investigate the accident to find out what happened.
Can Shared Fault Rules Impact Your Right to Compensation in New York?
If your vehicle’s airbags were defective and you were hurt as a result, the company responsible for the defects might owe you compensation. But what about the actual cause of the accident?
New York shared responsibility laws allow you to get compensation from anyone whose actions or omissions contributed to the cause of the accident. They also allow the courts to reduce your award if you were partly to blame.
For example, if you were speeding and caused an accident, but the airbags didn’t deploy to protect you as they should, you might share in the fault. As your case proceeds, the lawyers and insurance companies will gather all of the relevant evidence. That evidence is put together to assign a percentage of fault to all parties involved.
At Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C., our NYC personal injury lawyers have been fighting for clients for over four decades. We know how to investigate your claim and present your case. In other words, we know how to fight back when someone tries to shift the blame onto our injured clients.
Thinking About Making a Claim in NYC? Time is Limited
Even if you aren’t sure what caused your accident, you don’t have unlimited time to decide whether to sue for damages.
The law limits the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit based on personal injury. In New York, you only have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Our lawyers will work to preserve your right to compensation. It’s always important to act quickly, but give us a call even if some time has passed since the accident.
What Damages Are Available in a Defective Airbags Accident Case?
Personal injury damages are designed to make you whole again after someone else caused you harm. It’s not always easy to get the full amount of compensation you deserve. The insurance company knows that your bills are probably piling up–and they might offer to cover the cost of your medical bills, for example.
That doesn’t mean your case isn’t worth more. At Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C., we go over your case with a fine-toothed comb, putting in the hours needed to find out what your case is really worth.
Your fair compensation award might include money for:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical treatment costs
- Lost wages
- Loss of your earning capacity
- Physical therapy costs
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Emotional distress
- Damages for wrongful death
Recovering compensation after an accident can be complex. You never have to accept an insurance company’s initial settlement offer. If you have an offer on the table, have an experienced personal injury attorney review it before making any decisions.
Call Our Experienced New York City Car Accident Law Firm for Help
At Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C., we have already successfully recovered millions in verdicts and settlements for accident victims across NYC. Timing is always important after an accident, so don’t wait to discuss your case with an experienced NYC defective airbags lawyer.
Your first consultation is always free, so there’s no risk in learning more about our law firm and how we can help with filing a product liability claim. If you or a loved one suffered an injury in a vehicle accident caused by defective airbags, call us today for a free case review.
