Seat Belts Can Cause Serious Injury or Death
Seat belts were designed to protect passengers from injury during a collision. The NHTSA reports that lap/shoulder safety belts, when used properly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.
However, injuries can actually be caused by seat belts, and can be quite serious or even fatal. Chicago personal injury attorneys who specialize in auto products liability cases can best represent victims with these types of injuries.
Seat belt injuries typically occur because a defective seat belt fails to adequately protect a passenger during the “second collision”. An Illinois personal injury lawyer explains the “second collision” as that which follows the initial impact or “first collision”. The first collision is the vehicle’s impact with another object or vehicle. The second collision refers to the passenger’s impact with objects inside the vehicle. In the case of passenger ejection, it may refer to impact outside of the vehicle.
Injuries sustained from a faulty seat belt during a collision can range from contusions and soft-tissue damage, to skeletal injuries, severe spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injury and paraplegia. Victims often report injury to the chest/sternum, abdomen, breast and/or ribs.
While seat belt injuries are undoubtedly painful, they have proven on numerous occasions to be deadly.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 2.9 million people suffered seat belt injuries in 2002, and 43,000 people died as a result of their seat belt-related injuries.
If you have been seriously injured due to an auto-product failure, please contact an Illinois personal injury lawyer for consultation if you live in or around Chicago. Personal injury attorneys can help you receive the compensation you deserve for your injury.
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