A crashworthy vehicle employs safety features like seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, roll bars, and side impact bars to adequately protect the driver and passengers from undue injury in the event of an accident. During a collision, a vehicle’s crashworthiness ultimately determines the fate of the vehicle’s occupants. A defective air bag that fails to inflate when needed, or a design defect like an improperly located roll bar or SUV spare tire, can cause a vehicle to be un-crashworthy, sometimes the difference between life and death. Vehicle manufacturers may be held legally liable un-crashworthy vehicles. If you or a member of your family has been injured in an un-crashworthy vehicle you may be able to receive compensation.
Types of Auto Defect Cases
Some common types of crashworthiness cases include:
- Vehicle Rollover – Serious injury and death can result from accidents involving a vehicle rollover. Many sport utility vehicles (SUVs), vans, and school buses are more prone to rolling over than other vehicles because of their high centers of gravity. A vehicle rollover accident puts the driver and passengers at risk for injuries from roof crush and ejection from the vehicle often resulting in very serious personal injury or fatalities.
- SUV Rollover – Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) have a high center of gravity, which makes them more susceptible to rolling over during an accident or when quick maneuvering of the vehicle is required. During an SUV rollover accident, the driver and passengers are exposed to the dangers of being injured when the roof crushes or when physically ejected from the vehicle. An SUV rollover accident may result in serious injuries or death. An SUV manufacturer that sells a product with an inherent defective design can be held responsible when a rollover occurs as a result.
- Roof Crush – Vans and sport utility vehicles are more likely to roll over than other vehicles because of their high center of gravity, and more likely to experience roof crush. Vehicles are to be designed to resist roof crush with safety features that protect the driver and passengers from sustaining serious head injuries, or from being ejected from the vehicle.
- Defective Air Bags – A standard safety feature in automobiles since the 1980s, air bags are meant to protect drivers and passengers from serious injuries, or death during a serious collision. Improper installation, failure to inflate, or improper inflation are a few of the manufacturer’s defects that may compromise the safety of a driver or passengers during an accident.
- Automobile Fires – When an automobile is on fire, its occupants may only have a few seconds to get out of the vehicle. Automobile fires can occur as a result of defective gas tanks, defective vehicle parts, or an explosion.
- Defective Tires – Defective tires may suddenly and unexpectedly fail in a rupture or blowout, or the tread may separate from the tire. Accidents involving defective tires are hazardous and can lead to serious injuries. Firestone recalled defective SUV tires in 2000 following a number of SUV rollover accidents resulting from defective tires. When a manufacturer produces a defective product, the company is responsible for injuries its product causes.
Auto Defect Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured or harmed because of an auto related defect, it may be necessary to consult with an experienced product liability lawyer that is familiar with your state laws.
