Fox 31 in Denver has recently conducted an investigation into the true and widespread dangers of seatback failures in rear-end collisions. According to their team – named the Fox31 Denver Problem Solvers – they studied 100 car accident cases in which a child lost their life due to a collapsing front seatback. They also discovered that the Center for Auto Safety has nearly 900 child fatalities on record since 2001 that were caused by this very same problem.
In order to understand seatback failures, they spoke extensively to our own Attorney James L. Gilbert of The Gilbert Law Group®, P.C., who has fronted multiple successful lawsuits involving seatback collapse, including a $24.7M verdict for a client who was paralyzed after her accident. He explained that nearly every car model being used today has front seats that will collapse upon impact from the back, throwing the chair and its passenger back into any children seated behind them, resulting in a fatal or catastrophic injury. Through some deconstructing and reverse engineering, we were able to determine, with the help of our in-house engineer Mr. Kim, that seatback failure can be prevented by adding another metal rod or support within the seats; the fix would only cost automakers a few dollars.
Why is No One Fixing the Problem?
Fox 31 learned through our help how simple it could be to correct dangerous seats and stop these fatal accidents. But change does not seem to be on its way. Why not? They turned to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for that unsettling answer.
According to the NHTSA, there are not enough seatback failure-related deaths each year to warrant their own investigation or force a recall. About 3% of traffic fatalities are caused in rear-end collisions and only a sliver of those crashes involve seatback failures. For the NHTSA to force regulatory improvements, a problem must be more prevalent. 898 child deaths in 15 years is apparently not “prominent enough” for their standards.
If you would like to view Fox31’s article and interview with Attorney Gilbert in full, click here to visit their website. To learn more about how our firm is helping pave the way for safer vehicles for consumers across the globe, you can contact our car seatback failure law firm. If you have a case of your own that requires compensation or litigation, you can request a free consultation today.
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