Hundreds of Thousands of Cars Currently on the Road in South Carolina Might Have Defective Airbags
Car airbags make cars a lot safer; over the years, new developments in airbag design and placement have contributed to the progressive decline in the rate of fatalities and serious injuries in car accidents. Perhaps only seatbelts and laws against drunk driving have done more to prevent catastrophic car accidents. Of course, if airbags deploy improperly or at inappropriate times, they can be just as destructive as a car accident in a car without airbags, if not even more destructive. Unfortunately, many cars are on South Carolina’s roads right now with airbags that are at high risk of malfunction. If you have been injured in a car accident where an airbag malfunctioned, contact a South Carolina car accident lawyer.
The Defective Airbag Epidemic
Airbag malfunctions are not very common, but when they happen, they can be disastrous. When an airbag causes an accident by deploying when there is no collision, or when the explosion that causes the airbag to deploy is powerful enough to cause serious injury, instead of just causing the bag to inflate, the manufacturers of cars that carry that model of airbag issue a recall notice, in which owners of cars that contain the defective model of airbag can have their airbags replaced at the dealership, free of charge. The trouble is that most vehicle owners do not do this. Once the manufacturer has sent the notice, it is the car owner’s responsibility to take the initiative to get their airbags replaced. According to a report in the Post and Courier, there are about 200,000 cars with recalled airbags currently on the road in South Carolina.
Of course, not every unit of a recalled model of airbag will cause injury. Whether or not an airbag belongs to a recalled model, risk factors for airbag malfunction are the age of the airbag, as well as hot and humid weather. This summer, when the pandemic makes it impossible for most people to afford new cars, is a perfect storm for airbag malfunction accidents.
What to Do If You Get Injured in a Car Accident Involving a Malfunctioning Airbag
If you get injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another person or company, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party responsible for that negligence. What happens if you get injured in a car accident that was not your fault, and one of your airbags fails to inflate, making your injuries more serious than they would have been if the airbag had worked properly? You might have a case against the driver who caused the accident. You might also have grounds for a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer of the defective airbag.
Contact Us Today for Professional Help
A Columbia car accident lawyer can explore the complex causes of your car accident and the resulting injuries and help you find the best way to recover damages. Contact The Stanley Law Group for help today.
Resource:
postandcourier.com/news/more-than-200-000-sc-vehicles-carrying-recalled-airbags-that-can-explode-on-impact/article_d305922a-f4f8-11e9-b1ed-db8898cc1b08.html
