Texas Air Bag Defect Lawsuit Seeks Damages from General Motors After Car Crash Leaves Woman with Severe Injuries
Per the Texas air bag defect lawsuit, Gill was traveling in a 2004 Buick Le Sabre on September 12, 2011 when she lost control of the car, which went off the road, rolled over, and landed on its side. At the time, she was seated correctly and wearing a three-point seatbelt but her air bag did not deploy.
Gill contends that GM made an unreasonably dangerous vehicle because it came with air bags that did not properly protect or restrain her, thereby violating the crashworthiness principals. She is seeking Texas auto defect damages for disfigurement, pain and suffering, mental distress, emotional trauma, impairment, loss of consortium, decreased capacity to enjoy life, interference with everyday activities, and other costs.
Crashworthiness Principals
There are two types of auto products liability lawsuit. The first one involves causation, in which a car defect causes the crash that results in serious injury or wrongful death. The second type is based on violation of the crashworthiness principals.
While it is acknowledged that some collisions are inevitable, it is still the responsibility of a car manufacturer to make sure that it gives vehicle occupants reasonable protections in the event of one. For example, a vehicle that is crashworthy should be able to allow for adequate occupant survival space while limiting how much the passenger compartment is violated upon impact, prevent occupant ejection, adequately restrain passengers, and not increase the risk of an auto fire. Air bags, seat belts, and other safety features are some of the basic elements used to enhance an auto’s crashworthiness. When such safety elements are not installed or have key defects that prevent them from protecting a vehicle occupant, then a plaintiff may be able to raise questions about whether/not an auto was adequately crashworthy.
Not only are air bags essential to protecting a passenger in the event of a deadly crash, but also certain defects can cause them to be a source of injury to a victim. You want to work with an air bag defect law firm that understands the nature of air bag-involved collisions and can pinpoint what aspect of this safety feature’s technology failed or was poorly designed, causing it to not deploy when needed or deploy unnecessarily.
Common injuries from air bag deployment may include eye injuries, face trauma, jaw injuries, spinal cord injuries, decapitation, rib fractures, heart damage, lung injuries, shoulder injuries, forearm injuries, and other serious injuries.
Suit against GM claims vehicle’s airbags failed to deploy, The Southeast Texas Record, March 27, 2012
Air Bags, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Categories
