SEATBELT FAILURE ATTORNEY IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Helping Clients in Savannah Obtain Compensation
Car manufacturers are required to equip their vehicles with seat belts that are capable of preventing drivers and passengers from sustaining an injury during a collision. Despite these regulations, some cars with defective or dangerous seat belts end up being sold to consumers. These belts contain various design flaws that can cause the devices to malfunction when they are most needed: during a serious accident.
When seat belts fail to properly work, the driver and other passengers in the vehicle might end up sustaining severe or catastrophic injuries. If you have been injured or have lost a loved one because of a defective seatbelt, you might be eligible to file a lawsuit against the party responsible for your damages.
Examples of When Seat Belts Fail
There are a few different ways that a design flaw or poor quality materials can make a seat belt not work the way it is supposed to.
Examples of seat belt defects that can cause injury include:
Tears in the Belt Material: Seat belts need to be made with materials that are strong enough to hold a person in place during a collision, and also of high enough quality that the device won’t prematurely wear out. If a seat belt rips or tears apart during an accident, the person sitting in the seat can suffer injuries from hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, or roof of the vehicle. If defective seat belt materials caused you to suffer injury, and the manufacturer knew about the device’s defect, you can take legal action against the company and sue them for the damages you incurred.
Belt Retractor Malfunctions: The retractor feature is the most important aspect of the seat belt system. The restrictor locks the seat belt and the person sitting in the seat in place during an accident. Design flaws and cheap parts can sometimes make the retractor lock in place, which can create enough slack in the belt that the person suffers an injury in a serious accident. In accidents involving seat belt retractors that completely fail to work, the occupants can be tossed around the inside of the vehicle, possibly striking against hard surfaces and objects.
Flaws in the Design System: Seat belts are a crucial part of a much larger safety system that is designed to prevent drivers and passengers from sustaining devastating injuries during an accident. Every flaw within the safety system can lead to injuries in an accident scenario.
For example, the anchor point of a seat belt is supposed to help maintain the position of the occupants in a vehicle during a collision. If you are involved in a rollover accident and your seat belt hasn’t been properly anchored, you can end up suffering major injuries to your head and neck.
Determining if A Seatbelt Is Defective
When only one person suffers an injury in a vehicle filled with people, it can sometimes be a sign that a defective seat belt contributed to their injuries. Proving how the seat belt failed to function can be difficult, and will require you to access the actual seat belt system. This is why you need to make sure to preserve the seat belts from your vehicle after an accident. If you preserve the seat belt system from the vehicle, you can arrange to have an accident reconstruction expert check it for design flaws.
Our skilled seat belt failure attorneys can get you in contact with a professional in the field of accident reconstruction to help determine if your injuries were caused by a defective seat belt. We will also consult with medical professionals who will help us approach your case from every possible angle.
Speak to Our Seat Belt Failure Lawyers Today
At Brooks Law Office, our team of attorneys is prepared to use our extensive resources to help you determine if seat belt failure was the cause of your injuries. We are committed to helping our clients recover the maximum amount of compensation they are entitled to. The compensation you obtain from a successful lawsuit can be used to cover your medical treatments and other ongoing care you need to recover from your accident injury.