Houston Air Bag Accident Lawyers

Air bags were installed in cars to save lives. It is estimated that between 1986 and 2001, air bags saved approximately 5,303 occupants in the front seats of automobiles. Of those saved, about 85% (4,496) were drivers and 15% (807) were sitting in the front, on the passenger side. When used along with a seat belt, an air bag is 75% effective in preventing serious head injury and 66% effective in preventing serious chest injuries. However, air bags do not always save everyone. Children are especially susceptible to being injured instead of being saved when an air bag goes off. Even in the cases of some adults, air bags do not save them from injury because they are defective. They may not deflate as quickly as they should while some fail to deflate at all. In some cases, air bags also cause serious eye injury when they go off in only the most minor of crashes. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes that air bag deployment was responsible for the deaths of 158 people as of 2001. That included 92 children, 60 drivers, and 6 adults sitting on the passenger side. Therefore, while air bags save some lives, it can harm or ruin others.

The car industry responded after several air bag liability lawsuits were filed. First, they issued warnings that children should never be placed in the front of an automobile with air bags. Some cars now come equipped with the feature to turn the air bag off or a detector that will not release the air bag unless the occupant of the seat weighs a certain amount. There was also a “second generation” of air bags released, ones that were supposed to reduce fatalities, but there were still deaths caused by them. This is where our experienced Houston air bag accident lawyers come into play.

If you are involved in a car crash and are seriously injured or your passenger is seriously injured or killed, you need to know if the air bags had anything to do with it. The lawyers of Denena & Points are Houston air bag accident attorneys that are used to seeing cases such as this and we know what to look for. We are experienced product liability and Houston air bag accident lawyers and we will investigate to see if the air bag deployed when it was not necessary. This can happen when the design threshold of the air bag is not set properly. Our attorneys will see if the air bag deployed too late to protect you or your passenger. This can happen due to sensor designs, location of sensors, or even the wiring systems used by the manufacturers. The air bag can partially inflate, which causes injuries known as “inflation-induced” injuries. Air bags come with black boxes, known as sensing diagnostic control modules. Once the sensing diagnostic control module is removed and examined, a mechanic can tell at what time the air bag inflated or if it was not fully inflated when it reached the driver or passenger.

Knowing detail such as this is why it is a good idea to consult our qualified Houston air bag accident lawyers if you think your air bag performed faulty for some reason. We know exactly what to look for and how to provide evidence to support your case. Contact us today for more information. 1.877.307.9500