Defective airbags and injuries from the defective auto parts have led to numerous recalls over the years, demonstrating that the very things intended to protect can cause harm. This could result in filing a defective product claim. Defective product lawyers in Long Island, NY can assist clients who wish to review and pursue legal action against a liable party like a manufacturer.
Types of Defective Airbags
One common type of defective airbag is one that fails to deploy in a crash or fails to properly inflate. This is the case with nearly 750,000 Hondas’ airbags recently. The problem is missing rivets on the airbag cover that could cause it to fail to properly inflate.
There were no airbag injuries with this problem, but the manufacturer nonetheless issued a recall. If a recalled airbag caused injuries, defective product lawyers in Long Island, NY can help pursue an injury claim.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only problem that Honda has had with airbags, which leads to the next type of defect, when deployment occurs with too much force. The manufacturer has also had to recall airbags because the impact was so intense that it caused shrapnel (plastic and metal) to blow out.
This posed a risk of serious or fatal airbag injuries when striking the drivers’ chests. The problem stemmed from improper manufacturing, making the airbags too forceful.
Airbags can also be defective when, after an airbag has deployed, it is replaced with a new one. Not only could it be that the airbag isn’t new (may have been reconstructed or rebuilt), but if it’s not properly installed, this poses a risk of injury. In some cases, the airbags have actually been counterfeits.
Unexpected deployment of airbags is another type of defective airbags. When deployment occurs for no reason, this has the potential to cause a crash and/or injuries to the driver or passenger. This can sometimes happen when the circuit board is shorted out, the software isn’t programmed correctly or the sensor is faulty.
Airbags are designed to deploy in an accident when the collision happens at a moderate or high speed. But if they deploy in a low speed accident, injuries could be greater than any injuries that would have been sustained in the crash.
Airbags are also designed to deploy at a specific moment in time. If there is a delay, this could make the situation worse. The person might suffer not only a facial or head injury but additional harm caused by the lag in deployment. Whatever the defect, if airbag injuries are the result, defective product lawyers in Long Island, NY can help victims weigh their options for recovering financial compensation.
Liability for Injuries Caused by a Defective Airbag
Most often it is the car manufacturer who is liable for airbag injuries that are caused by defects. When this is the case, where the design or making of the product has a flaw and it causes injury, negligence doesn’t have to be proven as in other personal injury cases.
Manufacturers fall under strict liability. This means that with or without negligence, if the product causes physical harm, the manufacturer can be liable for the damages suffered.
If the problem with the airbag was in its installation, the entity responsible for installing the airbag could be liable. An example would be a vehicle involved in a crash where the airbag deploys and now a repair shop is installing a new one. If it’s counterfeit or installed incorrectly, the shop could be responsible for any resulting airbag injuries.
Others that could potentially be liable include wholesalers, distributors and even retailers. In some cases more than one party may be named in a defective product claim. It may be a good idea to seek legal advice with defective product lawyers in Long Island, NY.
Consult Defective Product Lawyers in Long Island, NY at Gacovino, Lake & Associates
Our defective product lawyers in Long Island, NY can consult injury victims and review the details of a crash to help determine if a defective airbag was the cause of injuries. If so, our law firm can explain the legal options that may be available and the types of compensation that could be recoverable for airbag injuries.
