Airbags are lifesaving safety features, but the explosive force required to deploy them can leave vehicle occupants with severe injuries.
If you or a loved one sustained facial or chest trauma in a collision, consulting a Fayetteville airbag injury attorney early is critical to protect your health and your legal rights.
Why Airbags Deploy with Dangerous Force
To shield you before you strike the steering column, an airbag must inflate completely in roughly 30 milliseconds – faster than a blink. This requires the fabric cushion to expand outward at speeds ranging from 150 to 200 mph.
While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes that airbags have saved tens of thousands of lives, this rapid inflation phase can also cause blunt-force and soft-tissue trauma to occupants.
Prevalent Airbag Injuries to the Face and Chest
Direct impact against a rapidly deploying airbag commonly causes the following trauma:
Facial and Ocular Damage
- Nasal Fractures: The most prominent facial feature makes a broken nose the most frequent airbag-related bone fracture.
- Orbital Floor Fractures: Severe localized pressure can crush the delicate bones under the eye socket. A clinical review indexed in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) PubMed Database confirms that orbital blowout fractures and complex eye injuries dominate airbag trauma, particularly when occupants are seated too close to the steering wheel.
- Corneal Abrasions: Rough nylon fabric or chemical dust can scratch the eye surface, risking long-term vision issues.
Chest and Torso Trauma
- Rib and Sternum Fractures: The combined force of a locking seat belt and an expanding airbag can fracture or heavily bruise the chest wall.
- Cardiac Contusions: High-speed impacts can drive the sternum inward, bruising the heart muscle and necessitating immediate medical monitoring for irregular rhythms.
Secondary Trauma: Friction Burns and Chemical Exposure
Airbag dangers extend beyond blunt force. The system’s physical properties and chemical propellants can cause hidden secondary injuries.
- Friction Abrasions: At 150+ mph, tightly woven nylon can act like sandpaper, causing deep lacerations and second-degree friction burns on the face and forearms.
- Chemical Burns: To inflate instantly, airbags use chemical propellants that release highly alkaline aerosols. Exposure to this dust can cause chemical burns to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. These symptoms often develop 30 to 90 minutes after an accident and can easily be missed during an initial emergency room visit.
Driver Negligence vs. Product Liability
Depending on how your safety system performed, your recovery may follow multiple legal pathways:
- Third-Party Driver Negligence: If the airbag functioned properly but you were hurt due to a crash caused by a reckless driver, you can seek compensation from the at-fault motorist.
- Strict Product Liability: If the airbag failed to deploy, deployed late, or was inherently defective, you can take direct legal action against the manufacturer. Under Georgia Code section 51-1-11, manufacturers are strictly liable if a defect makes their product unreasonably dangerous.
A primary example is the massive NHTSA Takata Airbag Recall, in which unstable propellant caused inflators to rupture, spraying metal shrapnel into the cabin.
Protect Your Rights with Trusted Legal Advocacy
Securing full compensation for surgery, specialized medical bills, and lost wages requires immediate, meticulous documentation of your injuries and the vehicle’s components.
If you sustained severe facial or chest trauma due to a collision or airbag malfunction in Georgia, do not handle the recovery process alone.
Contact The Roth Firm today to schedule your completely free, confidential case consultation.
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided in this blog post is intended solely for general informational purposes. It does not constitute formal legal advice, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship with The Roth Firm, LLC.