The air bag can function as a life-saving device. Yet there are times when the rate of the bag’s deployment can pose a threat to the safety of one or more of the vehicle’s occupants, as per personal injury lawyer in Menifee.
The method behind an air bag’s operation
Electrical wires connect the air bag to a sensor. The sensor can signal ignition of a trigger, one that causes the release of a certain gas. That gas could be either argon or nitrogen.
The released gas fills the bag, causing it to deploy. The time required for completion of the deployment is only 1/20th of a second. All air bags are supposed to deflate soon after their deployment has finalized.
Possible malfunctions
The bag deploys at the wrong time. The sensor is supposed to detect a presence of the forces that are associated with a collision.
The absence of an expected deployment: The lack of that expected action represents, the failure of an installed safety device. In other words, it makes that same device ineffective; hence, the passengers no longer enjoy the anticipated level of safety.
Late deployment: That causes the passenger’s head to get too close to the air bag. The head is not supposed to feel the force of the deployment. If it were to feel that force, it could sustain an injury.
Other ways that this safety device could prove hazardous
The bag that is stored in a special unit can become covered in dust. In addition, it contains some toxic chemicals.
A forceful deployment could cause the affected passenger to sustain abrasions or burns. The released dust could irritate the passenger’s lungs. It might also cause that same passenger to suffer an eye injury.
Significance of the hazards that have become associated with airbags
Because carmakers recognized those hazards, auto manufacturers did not rush to install airbags in the side doors. However, the steady stream of reports about side impact incidents pushed the industry to create the devices that can be found in the doors of present-day vehicles.
Injuries that might be suffered by a vehicle’s occupant, due to the nature of the bag’s known hazards, can get added to a listing of the same occupant’s other injuries. In other words, airbag’s known hazards help to increase the number of damages that might be part of a personal injury claim that has arisen from the results of a car accident.
Moreover, some occupants might have a more serious reaction to a deploying airbag. For instance, someone that was quite short might suffer a stronger effect of the forces that had been created by the fast-moving and air-filled device. That effect could translate into development of a serious injury.