Even though airbags are meant to protect us, the reality is that sometimes they do more harm than good. If you have been injured due to any type of airbag malfunction, our Miami products liability lawyers can help. We understand the serious physical, emotional and financial toll that an airbag malfunction can have on a person and his or her entire family, which is why we will aggressively fight for your rights throughout the entire legal process.
We tend to believe the more airbags, the better. This is not always the case. A new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that knee airbags are not very effective in preventing injury. In fact, they could potentially increase the risk of injury, according to the study. Knee airbags are airbags that deploy from a car’s lower dashboard. They are designed to spread impact across a car occupant’s legs in the event of a crash in an effort to reduce leg injuries.
IIHS examined data from more than 400 frontal crashes it conducted as part of its automobile ratings to determine if leg injuries were less probable in cars with knee airbags. Surprisingly, crash test results revealed that knee airbags were connected with an increased risk for lower leg and right femur injuries. The test was created to simulate what occurs when the front left corner of the car crashed into another automobile or object. Scrutinizing real world accident reports from 14 states, IIHS determined that knee airbags did decrease overall risk of injury from 7.9 to 7.4 percent, which the organization says is not statistically significant.
Unfortunately, many times, airbag injuries are caused by defective airbags. If you or someone you love has suffered an injury due to a faulty or malfunctioning airbag, you will likely be able to file a products liability lawsuit to recoup compensation for your injuries. There are three main types of defects for which a manufacturer or retailer may be liable:
- Manufacturing defects: These are defects that take place at the time of the product’s manufacture and typically involve sloppy workmanship or poor quality materials that is exclusive to a single airbag.
- Design defects: These are defects in the way the product is designed. These are inherently dangerous defects and will affect the safety of any person using the airbag. Design defects affect the entire product line, not just a single airbag.
- Failure to warn: A marketing defect, also known as the failure to warn, takes place when the inherent dangers of a product could be minimized if the consumer had been provided with sufficient warnings.
Airbags can save lives when they work properly. However, if the airbag fails to deploy or deploys at the wrong time because of a defect, the victim can suffer catastrophic injuries. If you have been injured due to a knee airbag or any other airbag in your vehicle, we may be able to help. At the Law Offices of Robert Dixon, our skilled Miami products liability attorneys understand how to navigate tricky defective product cases. With extensive experience in this area of law, we have helped countless South Florida clients and can also help you as well. Call us today at 1-877-499-HURT (4878) or reach us through our website.