DESIGN FLAWS:
1. A lap belt only design (common in rear seats of U.S. cars until almost 1990): This design permits head, facial, organ and spinal injuries.
2. Automatic seat belt door-mounted systems: These seat belt defects permit catastrophic spinal injuries and increased risks of your ejection from the vehicle if the car door opens during a Clear Lake, TX car wreck.
3. Bad seat belt geometries that allow movement of the passenger in a car wreck: In a rollover, poorly thought out seat belt geometries could allow your movement towards the car’s roof and consequent impact injuries.
4. Tension relieving mechanisms in the shoulder harness (deliberate in many seat belt designs from the late 1980s): These provide you more freedom of movement, but also permit excessive “slack” in the harness in the event of the wreck. The slack could allow you to severely impact against other parts of the vehicle or even other passengers if you have a Clear Lake, TX car wreck.
PRODUCTION DEFECTS and FAILURES:
1. Retractor failure: The retractor of your seat belt should lock you securely in place against your seat. If the retractor fails during a car wreck, you could be ejected from your vehicle, or you could impact parts of the vehicle interior at high speed.
2. Inertial unlatching: A weak latching mechanism allows the forces of a car wreck to pull the latch open. An unlatched seat belt does not protect you from harm during a Clear Lake, TX car wreck.
3. False latching: The seat belt appears to you to latch, but it doesn’t fully latch. If you have a wreck, it comes unlatched completely, failing to protect you from harm.
4. Torn or ripped webbing: Sometimes weak fabric or a manufacturing defect will cause torn webbing. In other cases, design or manufacturing flaws leave protrusions that can cut through the webbing.
5. Stitching errors: Inadequate or missing stitching could allow parts of the seat belt system to detach and pull apart in the event of a Clear Lake, TX car wreck, leaving you unprotected.
6. Anchoring mechanism defects: Sometimes anchoring bolts are loose or poorly designed. Sometimes the parts of the anchoring system haven’t been connected properly. Since much of the anchoring system in within the seat or not otherwise visible, you may not be aware of an anchoring defect until your seatbelt suddenly releases you during a car wreck. And then it’s too late.
All of these seat belt defects could be tied to negligence of one form or another. So if you suffer injuries from a seat belt failure, you could sue those responsible for the negligence. Your valid lawsuit could gain you financial compensation to help pay for the costs of your injuries and expenses from the car wreck. If you’ve had a Clear Lake, TX car wreck and you have questions about it, just give us a call at (877) 307-9500. The initial consultation is free, and we could help you understand your legal options following the accident.
Your seat belt is quite possibly the most important piece of safety equipment inside your car if you have a car wreck. So it’s best to make sure that your seat belt is well-designed, properly made and secure. Winning compensation for your injuries after the fact of a catastrophic car wreck remains a very poor substitute for retaining your health and well being in the first place. So watch news reports for any seat belt defects recalls that might affect your vehicle. You can also look up recalls on your specific make and model at the SaferCar website.