Defective Airbags Cause Brain Injury In Florida Car Crashes

Studies prove that tens of thousands of lives have been saved from airbags over the last few decades, and insurance companies are known to discount their policy rates as much as 40%, depending on the number and placement of vehicle airbags.

When Florida consumers buy vehicles they expect their safety features to work as expected. Vehicle manufacturers are held to a high standard when it comes to manufacturing safe vehicles. Common deadly car accidents in Florida that are due to defective manufacturing often involve an issue with brakes, brake pads, tires, seat belts, airbags, and other devices which are intended to provide driver and passenger safety.

Recently, defective airbags in multiple vehicle manufacturers have been found to cause serious injury and death. Many consumers are convinced to purchase a vehicle based on their safety feature in the case of an accident. When these safety features, such as airbags, fail to deploy as advertised, then drivers and passengers often fall victim to horrible injuries.  Imagine, for example, a typical case whereby the driver’s airbag fails to deploy. This in turn may cause the driver’s head to slam into the steering wheel, causing not only whiplash, but worse—brain injury. Victims who suffer serious injuries as the result of defective airbags are entitled to due compensation for their loss.

How many airbags do I need?

It’s been said that a cheap car with 6 airbags isn’t as safe as a well built car without any airbags. That being said, that’s the question most new car shoppers want to know. How many airbags does a vehicle have? Driver airbags, passenger airbags, knee airbags, side airbags, rear seatbelt airbags, and even exterior airbags exist to protect pedestrians.  But what happens when airbags fail to deliver after all the hype of plugging how many airbags the manufacturer has installed?

What happens when defective airbags don’t do their job?

Just as recently as July of 2013, the Hyundai Tiburon’s airbag failed to deploy, which was found by a judge to have caused brain injury to a victim. While the ruling resulted in Hyundai awarding Zachary Duncan $14 million, the findings of the hearing are quite disturbing. Apparently, the airbag didn’t deploy because the sensors were not properly placed, which is what led the plaintiff and his attorney to research cause for his tragic injury.

It was discovered that Hyundai was aware of the risks associated with the sensor placement within the airbags, and failed to remedy the problem.  Hyundai’s defense you ask? The sensors met federal regulations and they weren’t required to fix what they knew could cause serious injuries and fatalities. While Hyundai plans to appeal the decision, the victim is trying to re-learn how to talk and walk and struggles with serious memory problems.

Victims who have suffered injury from defective airbags are entitled to compensation. Family members who have lost a loved one due to defective manufacturing don’t realize that Florida upholds a strict liability statue. It is vital that victims receive expert advice from a qualified Broward County Auto Accident Attorney. Contact the Law Offices of David Benenfeld for a free legal consultation to determine if you have a case. Call 954-677-0155.