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Texas Personal Injury Lawyer: Defective Seat Belt Injuries Recalled by NHTSASeat belts are the most effective means of reducing deaths and serious injuries in automobile related accidents. Seat belts have been mandatory for a long time and they really play an important part in making sure that you have a safe drive home. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 60 percent of passengers killed in traffic crashes were not wearing their seat belts. In a 55-miles-per-hour crash, a back-seat passenger of average size not wearing a seat belt would fly forward with a force of 3,000 pounds, and this is more than enough to critically injure or kill other passengers. Each year in America seat belts save more than 12,000 lives and prevent 325,000 serious injuries. So we can never underestimate the importance of wearing seat belts while being in a moving vehicle. Unfortunately, if there is a defect in its installation, production or design, this safety devise can also sometimes cause irreparable damage. Seat belt injuries can happen when a defective seat belt fails to adequately protect a passenger in the second collision phase of an automobile accident. The first collision is when the vehicle collides with a moving or a stationary object. Actually what happens is, when there is a collision, the vehicle abruptly stops. While it comes from say, 60 mph to 0 mph, the passenger in the vehicle is still traveling at the old speed - 60 mph. Only a proper seat belt can stop the passenger from smashing into the front seat, into the windshield, or being catapulted out of the vehicle. This is the phase when a seat belt can minimize the injury. This is also a time when it can cause an injury due to some shortcoming. We all instinctively trust seat belts and believe they are going to protect us at the time of the accident. In the year 2000, General Motors had more than 300,000 vehicles recalled because of functionality concerns with seat belt safety latches. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 2.9 million people suffered seat belt injuries in 2002 and in that same year almost 43,000 people died as a result of seat belt injuries. A number of seat belt defects can cause serious seat belt injuries. Internal unlatching in a faulty seat belt can cause inertial unlatching in cases where a person is belted during an accident but the belt releases during the calamity. In "false latching" the seat belt seems to be engaged but comes loose in an accident. A seat belt can tear or rip if it is made of inferior quality material. Seat belt retractor failure and faulty window shade belt design can result in excess seat belt "slack" during a collision which can cause seat belt injuries. Poor seat belt geometry, door mounted belts, and lap-only seat belt designs can also contribute to seat belt injuries. Injuries Caused by Seat BeltsThe following are the injuries most commonly associated with faulty or defective seat belts suffered in automobile accidents.
Many secondary injuries are also the result of the use of seat belts, such as:
If you, or someone you love, have been the victim of seat belt injuries where defective seat belts may be to blame, you may need a qualified attorney who can advise you of your legal rights in order to seek redress and recover monetary damages. We understand that claiming monetary damages will not undo the affliction, but it can be a big help for you and those involved. You have a right to claim monetary damages in cases of:
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