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When a traffic collision occurs, the majority of the impact will be absorbed by the vehicle. However without restraint, passengers will be flung forward at the original speed of the car until stopped by the car's dashboard or steering wheel. While seat restraints and airbags will help eliminate most of this force, seatbelt and airbag injuries in car accidents are not unheard of and can cause serious injury.
Airbags work with seatbelts to help reduce the amount of body contact with the inside of the vehicle and to evenly distribute the force of the crash across the occupant's body. Airbags are made of a fabric bag, an inflator and sensing device. The passenger's airbag is much larger than the driver's which allows for the greater distance between the passenger and the dashboard.
Airbags will not deploy during a minor collision, over a bumpy road or from sudden braking. However, when they do deploy, it is a fast action which takes place in 1/20th of a second at around 144mph ensuring that the passenger is protected as soon as the crash happens. To then prevent the passenger from becoming trapped inside the car and the driver from losing control of the vehicle, the airbag deflates as soon as it has opened.
As the airbag releases small amounts of dust or powder as it deploys, eye and throat irritation can occur if the passengers are unable to leave the vehicle promptly after the crash. While for healthy passengers the effects will only be short term, for those with lung diseases such as asthma, the results can be more serious.
Minor burns and abrasions are also common airbag injuries caused from the friction created when the airbag hits the body. More serious injuries tend to occur when the driver is knocked unconscious and slumps forward causing them to absorb the force of the airbag deployment, rather than the airbag helping to diffuse this force.
Certain precautions can be made to ensure against airbag injuries. These include adjusting the driver's seat to allow a 10" margin of safety between the driver and the point where the airbag will deploy, making sure passengers were seatbelts, preventing front seat passengers from placing any body part on the dashboard and seating all children under 12 in the back seats.
Airbag injuries in car accidents and claiming compensation
If you have suffered an airbag injury due to a fault with an airbag, you could be eligible to make a compensation claim. At YouClaim, our personal injury lawyers can help you gain the compensation that you deserve following a car accident.
Thanks to our no win, no fee policy, you will never be charged for making a claim regardless of the outcome of your case.
So why not give us a call today? Airbag injuries in car accidents can have devastating effects on your quality of life so give us a call now and one of our friendly operatives will be only too happy to help you start the claims process today.
