If you are wondering how airbags work, there is a possibility that you or someone close to you had a recent encounter with an airbag. Airbags utilize innovative technology in their design to prevent injuries in case of an accident. Depending on your vehicle's type, an airbag can be released from the steering wheel, dashboard, or other car parts. For an airbag to be effective, it will have to open faster than the car's speed.
Studies show that an airbag helps minimize the risk of severe injuries that could even result in death in direct frontal accidents by 30%. This makes having an airbag in your car essential as it could help keep you safe. Airbags should not replace safety belts; instead, they should supplement them.
Understanding How An Airbag Works
If you are in an accident and your car hits an object, it could lose control. An electronic chip (accelerometer) detects changes in your car's force, speed, or acceleration. The accelerometer is a sensor that takes approximately 12 to 20 milliseconds to trigger the frontal airbag after it detects an impact. Once the airbag is activated, it will take 65 milliseconds to inflate fully. You should note that standard braking can not generate enough force to trigger the airbag circuit.
You will realize that when the car is moving and hits an object during the crash, it will stop moving or decelerate, but your body will still be in motion until an opposing force counters it. A seatbelt can help restrain your body from moving forward and crashing into the windscreen or other parts of the car, but it will not protect your head. This is where an airbag comes in handy, designed to expand and slow down your momentum.
An airbag is made of nylon, which allows it to fit into your car's compartment. Inside the compartment, the airbag contains a sensor that detects a collision that causes it to inflate.
For an airbag to inflate, you must have a collision at ten mph, equivalent to running to a brick wall. When the accelerometer detects a crash, the sensor activates the chemicals inside the airbag, like potassium nitrate or sodium azide, to react. The chemical reaction breaks down into nitrogen gas, which inflates the airbag. This reaction takes less than 65 milliseconds and helps prevent most chest and head injuries that could be fatal.
After the airbag inflates, the nitrogen gas inside it disperses via tiny holes built into the bag. Once the gas dissipates, the airbag deflates, allowing you to leave the car.
What to Do After Your Airbags Fail to Deploy
Although airbags can save your life, they are not without some risks. The NHTSA recorded almost 300 deaths related to airbags in the years between 1990 and 2007. Therefore, you could be entitled to compensation if you sustain severe injuries due to another party's negligence. After an airbag-related injury, you will need to do the following:
Check For Injuries
If your airbag deploys, you should check for injuries if you are conscious of your situation. If you have some passengers, ensure they are fine. Once you are sure, everyone is okay, leave the car. Also, you must seek medical attention immediately.
You should not drive your vehicle after the airbag deploys. Still, you can call for emergency services if you think someone has suffered internal injuries, or if you are not severely injured, let someone drive you to the emergency room. You must note that you should seek medical assistance even if you feel fine. Sometimes, due to the adrenaline, you may not feel any pain or discomfort that you will experience once the adrenaline wears off.
You will also stand to lose your compensation if you take a long time seeking medical care. It can be overwhelming to deal with insurance agencies, but you do not have to worry as you can hire a car accident attorney and let them deal with the insurance agents.
Turn Off Your Car's Engine
Although most vehicles have a mechanism that switches off the engine after an airbag deploys, it is crucial to ensure your vehicle is off. Your car will automatically switch off the engine to protect you and other passengers from explosions in the event of an oil leak. However, if your vehicle does not automatically switch off after the deployment of the airbags, you should turn it off and exit it as soon as possible. When exiting your vehicle, ensure it is safe to avoid being hit by other motorists using the same road.
Assess Your Car's Damage
Once you determine that your car's occupants are uninjured and fine, the next step is to assess the damage to your vehicle. If the traffic police are not at your accident site, you should call them so that they can document your accident. Once the police arrive, ensure they give you a copy of their report, as it will assist in making your claim.
Take pictures of your vehicle, its angle, and the angle of the other vehicles if the accident involved other motorists. Also, it is essential to write everything about the accident in a notebook or on your phone; you may forget the details later. You should also take down important information about the other drivers involved in the accident and the eyewitnesses at the accident site.
Contact Your insurance provider
You should contact your insurance provider and let them know about your accident. While contacting your insurance company, remember to give them only the most essential and relevant information. Sometimes insurance companies can use the information you provide them for their gain, and you may lose a substantial amount of your compensation.
Have Your Mechanic Replace Your Car's Airbags
Although replacing your car's airbags can be an expensive exercise, there is a chance that your vehicle may be totaled after an accident. If the accident did not leave your car totaled, your mechanic could replace the airbags, but this will solely depend on the damage to your vehicle.
Keep All Your Records Well
You should keep all your records well, be it medical bills, doctor's appointments, or any other document that involves your accident, as these documents will be instrumental in determining your compensation.
Engage the Services of A Car Accident Attorney
After your accident, you should consult with an experienced car accident attorney, especially if your airbag failed to deploy at the appropriate time. Your lawyer will advise you on the best course of action, deal with your insurance company, and file a lawsuit against the party responsible for your accident. Also, a car accident attorney will investigate your accident's circumstances and develop a strategy that will work in your favor.
Your car accident attorney would review your case and determine if you should seek compensation if your injuries resulted from an airbag malfunction. If they find that the manufacturer is liable for your damages, they can sue them. To obtain compensation when your airbag manufacturer is responsible, your attorney must prove to the court that:
● The Airbag Did Not Deploy During a Crash
If you were in an accident and your airbag did not deploy as expected, you must establish the cause. You could prove that the airbag and its mechanism were faulty, resulting in its failure to deploy as expected.
● You Sustained Injuries Due to the Airbag's Failure to Deploy
If you sustained injuries when your airbag failed to deploy, your attorney could show how these injuries affect your daily routine. Most attorneys will seek the assistance of medical personnel and economists to testify on your behalf.
You should gather enough evidence to ensure that your liability claim is successful. Having all your medical records and any evidence from the accident site is crucial, as your attorneys can use this evidence to argue in your favor.
Airbags Failure To Deploy After An Accident
One thing that you should have at the back of your mind is that when you are involved in a car accident, you can wish for a best-case scenario, which is having your airbag deploy as expected while you and your passengers are unhurt. However, according to NTSA, fatal accidents occur regularly on the roads. Airbags are associated with improved road safety and minor injuries like lacerations, contusions, and abrasions. One thing you do not expect to occur in the event of a collision is the airbag's failure to deploy. It could have severe repercussions.
Reasons Why Your Airbags May Fail To Deploy
According to NHTSA, your airbag should deploy if you are involved in a moderate or severe crash. This means that not all accidents will result in the deployment of the vehicle's airbags. Some of the reasons why your airbags do not deploy after your accident may include:
Lack of Speed
For an airbag to deploy, especially frontal airbags, you must drive at very high speeds. Your car must reach between 8 and 14 mph.
Minor Collision
For an airbag to deploy, the manufacturer designs it so that when the impact is severe, it will trigger the airbag's inflation. Therefore, an airbag can not inflate due to a minor collision like fender-benders, as the safety belt will provide you with adequate protection. In some of these situations, the effects of airbag inflation will be more harmful.
Angled Impact
If you are involved in a rear or angled impact, there is a high possibility that your airbags will not deploy.
Potholes and Bumps
In most cases, you will realize that airbags are not designed to deploy due to undercarriage impacts. Therefore, you should not expect the airbag to deploy when you hit that pothole, even if the effect lets your head hit your car's roof.
Improper Manufacture
If the manufacturer did not manufacture the airbag properly, they failed to deploy it at the appropriate time. There could be an issue with:
● The sensors
Manufacturers will place a sensor at a place where they expect the impact, popularly known as the impact zone. Therefore, if you are involved in a moderate to severe crash, and your airbags fail to deploy, there is a high possibility that the sensors placed in the impact zone are faulty or damaged.
● Electrical Parts
If the airbag manufacturer installs your car's airbag electrical system improperly, it may fail to deploy in the event of an accident.
● Wiring
Sometimes your car may sustain severe damage during an accident that would affect its wiring. The affected wiring may then fail to transmit necessary information regarding the impact on the airbags, resulting in their failure to deploy.
Factors Affecting the Deployment of an Airbag During a Car Crash
There are several reasons your car’s airbag may fail to deploy, which may end up hurting you as it will fail to protect you. An airbag can deploy very fast at a speed of 200 mph, and this means that if it fails to deploy at the appropriate moment, your body could sustain severe injuries. Also, if your body comes into contact with the airbag while it is inflating, you could sustain serious injuries.
Imagine hitting an object that is projecting at a speed of 200 mph. You will still sustain injuries if you hit the airbag while deflating, as you may hit your car’s interior instead. Whether you hit the airbag while it is inflating or deflating does not matter, as both scenarios will leave you with severe injuries.
Some of the factors that could cause you to come into contact with an airbag as it inflated or deflated are:
● Your Sitting Position
Ideally, your car has sensors that help adjust the speed at which your airbag inflates depending on the location of your seat. What this means is that the location of your car’s seat plays a crucial role in determining if you will come into contact with the airbag as it deploys or not. If these sensors fail to signal, you may sustain severe injuries.
● Your Weight
Your weight plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of your airbag deployment. For instance, if you are sitting inside the vehicle holding something heavy on your lap, the sensors will not send the correct information about your weight to the airbag mechanism. Without accurate data, the airbag mechanism will fail to calibrate your forward movement during the crash, and this could lead to the airbag inflating late or at an inappropriate moment.
● The Airbag’s Material
During the manufacture of airbags, they are folded to ensure they function correctly. These folds are crucial as they provide that the airbag deploys at the appropriate speed and protect you during the impact. If the airbag is manufactured using a heavy material, it could lead to harsher effects or explode as it deploys.
Injuries Resulting From Airbag's Failure To Deploy
When your car's airbags fail to deploy, your life is in more danger; some of the injuries that you will sustain include:
● Internal bleeding.
● Brain injuries.
● Spinal cord injuries.
● Lacerations.
● Whiplash
● Fractured ribs.
● Broken limbs.
● Skull fractures.
● Eye traumas.
● Burns.
● Fetal injuries.
● Asthma attacks.
Once you seek medical attention, your health care provider will inform you if your injuries resulted from airbag malfunction. That is why it is essential to seek medical attention immediately after an accident. Once your doctor confirms that your injuries resulted from an airbag malfunction, you should consult with a car accident attorney who will advise you on the way forward.
Types Of Compensations To Expect In A Defective Airbag Claim
Medical expenses
These expenses include transportation to and from the doctor’s office, consultation fees, and any other medical bill you incur as you recover from the injuries you sustained due to airbag malfunction.
Loss of income
Your attorney will seek to have you compensated for the loss of income, including present and future earnings.
Emotional Distress
In most cases, you will sustain severe injuries from an airbag malfunction. Some of these injuries will leave you physically challenged or scared. Your attorney can file for emotional distress, where you will be compensated for your emotional turmoil.
Contact A Car Accident Attorney Near Me
Although most manufacturers aim to make airbags safer, which has contributed significantly to a decrease in the number of fatal accidents in California, much needs to be done. You should note that you are still in danger if the airbag fails to deploy during an accident or if they deploy when you least expect them.
One thing is sure, technology is not perfect, and there will always be that instance where it may fail. If you sustain injuries in Los Angeles due to an airbag malfunction, you will need to seek the help of an experienced car accident attorney to deal with the insurance company agents, file a lawsuit and ensure that you are adequately compensated for your loss.
You will need to concentrate on your recovery, having some peace of mind knowing that you have a qualified attorney at your back. At Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney, our experienced team will work hard to ensure you are compensated fully for your loss. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at 424-237-3600, and we shall assist you appropriately.
