Understanding Airbag Burn Injuries
Do you know how a car airbag works? You’re likely familiar with the basic concept, even if you’ve never experienced a severe enough car accident to see one in action. What you may be less aware of is the explosive character of the standard car airbag. You may assume that some sort of air pump or other inflation device fills the bag when it detects a crash, but in practice, this is far too slow. Car accidents are chaotic situations where mere milliseconds can separate life from death. Airbags require a more violent, explosive kind of deployment, which can contribute to overall injuries suffered during a violent car crash, even while preventing more serious ones. Furthermore, the sensitive character of this technology means that improper fitting or manufacture of an airbag can lead to serious burn injury. Today’s Malloy Law blog post will examine these airbag burn injuries in depth.
The Physics and Chemistry Making Your Airbag Work
Rather than compressed air, an airbag deploys by means of a controlled explosive charge, most often employing chemical compounds like sodium azide (NaN3). This compound rapidly decomposes into nitrogen gas when activated by the car’s internal crash sensing machinery, thus inflating the airbag in fractions of a second. The electronic control unit fitted in a modern automobile can communicate with the computers governing the deployment of the airbag, informing them of the forces acting on the car in a crash situation. If these forces exceed a predetermined threshold, the airbag fires.
Airbag Burn Injuries and You
Airbag burn injuries can be separated into two broad categories. The first category, friction burns, occur due to the rapid expansion of the airbag along with the movement of the driver or passenger’s head. They’re skin lesions similar to brushburns you might encounter in any number of places and generally heal on their own. This process can usually be accelerated by means of skin creams and ointments, as well as bandages to reduce irritation and risk of secondary infection.
The far more dangerous variety of burns from airbags often come from the chemical compounds which make them work. If they come into contact with sensitive skin areas such the face, the results can be severe. In the case of a car accident caused by a negligent driver, these burns and the medical costs incurred in their treatment can be added onto the ledger when calculating the total settlement.
Points of Failure and Product Liability
It sounds simple, and in many way it is, but even this everyday piece of technology is a result of innumerable interlocking systems. When these systems are not maintained properly over years of wear and tear, or faultily manufactured or installed it can make already bad situations worse. If the vehicle’s ECU is faulty, the airbag may not deploy at all. If sends or receives faulty signals, it may think an accident is occurring when none is taking place and deploy the airbag without warning. Regular maintenance can prevent these sorts of failures but negligent maintenance may accelerate them. In this case, you may have a case against the mechanic whose work led to the faulty airbag or the manufacturer of the car.
How Malloy Law Can Help
If you or a loved one have suffered airbag burn injuries as a result of a faulty airbag or a car accident acused by another’s negligence, Malloy Law is here to help. Our experienced and diverse team of personal injury attorneys is home to the DC area’s car accident specialists. We’re familiar with all possible angles to pursue compensation in the wake of a serious car accident. Contact us today and let’s win your case.