The Dangers Of Defective Seatbelts: When Safety Features Fail

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There is a reason that most states require the drivers and passengers in a motor vehicle to wear seatbelts when on the road. Seatbelts have helped to save millions of lives over the decades, lives that otherwise would have been ended in violent collisions. However, seatbelts that malfunction due to a defect are more likely to claim a life than save it in the event of an automobile accident. People who have been injured due to a faulty seatbelt, or who have lost a loved one because his or her safety belt did not function properly, can pursue compensation against the manufacturer of the seatbelt through a product liability claim.

The most common seatbelt defect results from a failure to latch. This failure may not be readily evident; the seatbelt may remain in place and seem to be properly latched until an accident reveals that the latch was false. Tragically, this flaw is usually only detectable after a serious injury has occurred. Likewise, some seatbelts fail to lock in the event of a collision; again, this locking mechanism isnt truly tested until an actual impact has taken place. The reason a seatbelt locks into place on impact is so that the wearer wont be thrown forward and back during a collision, risking head, spinal, and neck injuries. On very rare occasions, a flaw in the webbing of the restraint may cause it to break altogether during a collision.

This is not to suggest that seatbelts are inherently dangerous; these defects are exceedingly rare, and the possibility of a seatbelt doing more harm than good in a car or truck accident is quite slim. However, those who suffer due to a faulty seatbelt are protected by personal injury law. They can file a product liability claim against the designer of the seatbelt, the manufacturer of the seatbelt, or both if appropriate. If a family member is killed in an accident because his or her seatbelt failed to work properly, the remaining family members may seek compensation via a wrongful death lawsuit.


About the Author:
A defective seatbelt can lead to devastating injuries, including brain injury and spinal cord injury. If you or someone you love is injured as a result of a defective seatbelt, talk to a lawyer about filing a product liability claim.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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