Do airbags really help automobile accident victims or do they sometimes do more harm than good? I was recently contacted by an older gentleman who was involved in an Indio auto accident with a small pickup truck. The potential client who came to the Indio auto accident Lawyer at Barry Regar A Professional Law Corporation told me that he had been involved in a low speed head on collision with a pickup truck. The truck driver was at fault for drifting over the center line into the oncoming lane. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts and both vehicles' airbags deployed. The gentleman who came to our Indian Wells Personal Injury Law office suffered a shoulder injury caused by the airbag inflating as he was holding his injured arm/shoulder in a vulnerable position during the car crash scenario. It was my opinion that had he just been wearing his lap and shoulder belts properly attached and the airbag had not inflated he would have probably only suffered a soft tissue injury to his neck and back. I am not suggesting that this Indio car accident and the resulting injuries would have justified a defective products lawsuit against the car manufacturer. Air bags do save lives and prevent certain kinds of injuries during certain kinds of automobile accidents. But there is another side to the story. The NHTSA reported that 238 people were killed from 1990 to 2002 because of airbag deployment. These were low speed car crashes that should not have resulted in deaths; but for the crushing power of the airbag inflation. NHTSA also opines that by 2004, airbags probably saved 10,000 lives. However a recent study by the University of Georgia challenges NHTSA's conclusions and presents statistical evidence that airbags may do more harm than good. The Georgia report and study was published in Chance magazine Volume 18 No. 2 pp. 3-16 a publication of the American Statistical Association. Drivers should adjust their seat positions so that they are not sitting too close to the steering wheel and passengers should also be mindful of their seat position. If you or a family member has been injured in an Indio auto accident or in any kind of personal injury accident in the Coachella Valley for which you want a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer, you should contact a lawyer at Barry Regar A Professional Law Corporation for immediate answers to your legal questions.
