An airbag can absolutely cause auto crash injuries, even when it deploys correctly during an accident. While airbags save lives every day, they can also leave drivers and passengers with serious injuries that deserve real medical attention. Understanding how airbag injuries happen can help you protect your health and know what steps to take after a car accident.
Common Ways Airbags Cause Injuries
Airbags deploy in a fraction of a second and with tremendous force. While they are meant to save lives, the same mechanism that protects you can also leave behind serious injuries.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 describes how airbags must function for crash protection, but injuries can still happen even when the system works exactly as designed. Here are some of the most common injuries caused by airbag deployment:
- Facial fractures and lacerations
- Burns from airbag chemicals and gases
- Wrist, arm, or hand fractures
- Eye injuries and vision impairment
- Traumatic brain injuries from blunt airbag impacts
- Neck and spinal injuries from sudden force
- Chest bruising or broken ribs
- Internal bleeding from high-force impacts
- Hearing damage from the explosive sound of deployment
Airbags are designed to keep people safe, but the force behind them can still lead to unexpected injuries. These are often the basis for personal injury claims, especially when deployment causes significant harm or a defect is suspected. In many cases, people are seriously injured even though the airbag functioned exactly as designed. Reach out to a personal injury attorney in Coweta County if you’ve been injured in an airbag accident.
Factors That Increase the Risk of Airbag Injuries
Most people do not realize how much things like seat position, speed, or who is in the front seat can affect the risk of getting hurt when an airbag goes off. These systems are built to save lives, but they also pack a serious punch, especially in certain situations.
That is why Georgia requires extra precautions for kids in the front seat, and laws like O.C.G.A. § 40-8-76 are in place to help reduce the chances of injury when an airbag deploys.
Sitting Too Close to the Steering Wheel or Dashboard
If your seat is too close to the wheel or dashboard, you are sitting right in the airbag’s path. When it inflates, it does not ease out gently. It bursts forward with enough force to crack bones or bruise your chest. Adjusting your seat to give yourself a little more space can go a long way in keeping you safer during a crash.
Airbag Malfunctions and Deployment Defects
Airbags are supposed to work in a split second, but sometimes, things go wrong. A drunk driver slamming into your car at high speed can set off an airbag that deploys too forcefully or at the wrong time.
When that happens, the injuries you suffer may have more to do with how the airbag reacted than with the crash itself. That can open the door to more questions about whether the system did what it was supposed to do.
Children Placed Improperly in Front Seats
It might seem convenient to let a child ride in the front seat, especially during short trips, but airbags and kids do not mix well. Without the right booster or restraint system, a child is sitting in the direct path of the airbag. Even a minor collision can lead to major injuries. That is why Georgia makes it clear that young passengers should ride in the back whenever possible.
Lack of Seat Belt Use During Deployment
Seat belts and airbags are designed to work together. If someone is not wearing a seat belt when the airbag goes off, the results can be brutal. The force hits with nothing to slow it down, which puts people at greater risk for broken bones, head trauma, or even internal injuries that could have been avoided with a properly fastened belt.