Even though airbags can lay a huge role in protecting you in the event of an accident, they can indeed be the source of various critical injuries. These types of injuries are rare but nevertheless can cause life-changing trauma. Depending on the rate of deployment, the chemicals that are used in the device, the design and quality of the device as well as the seat belt, these traumas are different.
In this article, we have prepared some of the most common types of injuries caused by airbags.
Injuries of the upper body
A big percentage of these injuries is related to the abrasions of the upper portion of the body, including the face, chest, and arms. Since the airbag deployment happens close to these areas, this comes as no surprise. If a person is not wearing a seatbelt, they can get severe upper-body injuries, since there is nothing holding the body from the force of the accident. These can be anything from fractures of the wrists and arms to serious fractures to the skull, rib cage, and face.
That being said though, injuries like these can get even worse in case of an airbag malfunctioning. As experts on airbag injuries over at https://www.davidchristensenlaw.com/detroit-car-accident- lawyer/detroit-airbag-injury-lawyer/ explain that, unfortunately, airbags and their functioning mechanisms are quite complicated, and if everything doesn’t work perfectly, the probability is high that you are going to end up with severe upper-body injuries. In some cases – airbags can even explode!
Skin burns
Even though this is not something that first comes to mind when you think about airbag injuries, nevertheless they are something that happens in most cases. Due to the sudden movements during an accident, when the airbag deploys, your body moves in a way that it wouldn’t normally. You can get burns on the hands, the arms, and the chest because of the friction with the steering wheel, the airbag itself, or sometimes other parts of the car. Sometimes these go as far as airbag dermatitis, which can irritate the skin in the longer run.
Internal organs injuries
This group can be quite tricky. Since there is a huge force that hits you during the deployment of the airbag, you can get severe injuries to the internal organs without even knowing it at first. These can be lacerations to the liver, veins, spleen, heart, arteries, lungs, or even brain stem.
Sometimes it happens that there is small internal bleeding that you cannot feel at first, but after a while, it can have lethal consequences if you don’t get the proper treatment. So, no matter if you feel really bad, or just a bit shaken, make sure to go to your doctor as soon as possible to avoid any bad consequences.
Brain injuries
Our heads might be one of the most sensitive parts of the body in these types of injuries. Since a person can be hit directly in the head, it can happen that they lose their consciousness, get a concussion, or sometimes even get brain swelling and brain bruising.
Whiplash
Whiplash represents a neck injury that happens due to rapid, forceful back-and-forth movement of the neck. This is one of the few injuries that are actually more likely to happen if you are wearing a seatbelt. If your car crashes into something, your body will rapidly first move forth and then back, making your neck move fast.
This can also be one of the trickier injuries, since often people don’t feel the symptoms until a few weeks later. Just as for anything else, visit your doctor right away to get the proper treatment. That will usually include pain medication and exercise.
Lung and heart injuries
If the airbag hits your chest, you might experience some bad symptoms related to your heart and lungs. These types of accidents can cause heart muscle rupture, as well as asthma attacks, coughing, and throat irritations. A lot of times a person can have trouble breathing. Sometimes that can be just due to the stress, but if these are some symptoms that you are experiencing even
a few hours after the accident, you should not wait for them to go away, but seek help from professionals.
How to prevent airbag injury
Make sure that you always wear a seatbelt. In most airbag-related deaths, the person was not wearing a seatbelt. If you have children under 12, make sure they always ride in the back seat, and of course, use the correct car seat for their weight and height. Of course, they need to be properly restrained at all times as well. And last, but not least, never keep the seats positioned closer than 10 inches from the airbag.
At the end, when it comes to car accidents, the best way for you to protect yourself is to be vigilant and stay informed, and after reading this article, you have surely been able to learn something new regarding the repercussions of certain safety measures being neglected.
That being said, make sure that you are following all the safety measures so that, even if it does just so happen that you find yourself in a car accident, you end up with no injuries whatsoever.