Air bags are standard equipment in almost all new cars and are designed to supplement the protection provided by safety belts in frontal crashes. Federal safety standards require that all new passenger cars and light trucks be equipped with both driver- and passenger-side air bags by 1999. While air bags have a good overall safety record and have saved an estimated 1200 lives as of the end of 1995, they pose several risks for children.
An infant in a rear-facing safety seat must never be placed in the front seat of a motor vehicle with a passenger-side air bag. During a forward impact, the rapidly inflating air bag could strike the safety seat with enough force to seriously injure or kill the infant. Infants under one year of age and under about 20 pounds must ride in a rear-facing safety seat placed in the back seat of the vehicle, especially if the vehicle is equipped with a passenger-side air bag.
Forward-facing safety seats, as used with toddlers and older children, typically place children at least several inches closer to the dashboard than the normal adult seating position. Therefore, the safest practice is to place all child safety seats in the back seat of the vehicle. If it is absolutely necessary to place a forward-facing safety seat in the front of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag, the vehicle seat should be adjusted as far back as possible from the dashboard.
Air bags pose special hazards for any children who ride unrestrained or incorrectly restrained in the front seat. Like all occupants, children should always be properly restrained in safety seats or safety belts. Unfortunately, surveys indicate that as many as 35 percent of young children ride unrestrained. Pre-crash braking may throw an unrestrained child against the dashboard at or near the passenger air bag location. When this happens, the inflating air bag and its plastic cover can violently impact the out-of-place child with such force that it can injure or even kill the child. The safest place for all children is correctly restrained in the back seat of the vehicle.
To ensure that your children ride safely, remember these rules:
If you or someone you know has been hurt by an air bag, it is important to seek medical and legal assistance as soon as possible. In all medical product liability cases it is essential that measures be taken promptly to preserve evidence, investigate the procedure in question, and to enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate any injuries. If you believe that you may be a victim of an air bag deployment, call The Law Offices of Chuck Ervin now at 916-447-4357 or CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A SIMPLE CASE FORM. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to accept your case, we will work on a contingent fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds. Don’t delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.
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