Airbags are credited with reducing numerous injuries and saving many lives during vehicle accidents. However, there have been incidents where they do not function as intended, and have even caused injuries such as explosive powder burns, detached eye retinas, child suffocation and impact deaths. In still other cases, airbags have not deployed when they should have, or even deployed unnecessarily, thus causing a car accident. In addition, many malfunctions do not occur in the airbag modules themselves, but rather in the electronic instruments and electromechanical devices that detect a collision and signal if, and when, an airbag should deploy.
We have experience in many aspects of airbag safety including:
Through scientific analysis, we can help you answer pertinent questions such as:
Airbag did not deploy in a head on crash:
A car's driver was seriously injured when he struck another vehicle. The automobile manufacturer claimed that the vehicle's onboard computer indicated "no fault codes" associated with the airbag system and, therefore, the impact was not sufficient to require its deployment. However, the driver received a handsome settlement after we showed that, based on government airbag standards, the impact crush severity and direction were sufficient to expect airbag deployment.
Car strikes guardrail and rolls down hill:
A driver lost control of his car and struck a guardrail, which did not stop the vehicle. It then rolled down an embankment and landed upside down in a creek, nearly drowning the driver. By analyzing the car's damage, we discouraged the driver's lawyer from pursuing a futile claim of airbag malfunction against the car-maker, but encouraged a successful suit against the guardrail manufacturer, since it should have contained and deflected the car from running off the roadway.
Kristopher J. Seluga, PE, is a Mechanical Engineering, Accident Reconstruction, Biomechanics, and Safety Expert with over 20 years of experience. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Mechanical Engineering department at MIT where he worked on the development of novel three-dimensional printing technologies. Mr. Seluga is also a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and Connecticut, and has served as a member of the ANSI engineering committee for the Z130.1 and Z135 standards for golf cars and PTV's. His research interests and peer reviewed publications span the topics of Motor Vehicle Dynamics, Product Safety, and Biomechanics.
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7/31/2009· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Engineering Experts: Power Saws
Approximately 125,000 serious injuries occur in the US each year related to the use of portable and fixed power saws. Lacerations and similar injuries, such as abrasions and avulsions, account for over 90% of these, which generally occur to males and result in losses in the tens of millions of dollars annually.
3/3/2015· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Forensic Clues: Material Science and Accident Reconstruction
Material science is a broad field that has applications in numerous fields. In product injury cases, material science can help identify defects, determine causes of accidents, determine failure modes, and identify inconsistent manufacturing processes.
8/7/2018· Accident Investigation & Reconstruction
Children Will Fall At Playgrounds. What Shall We Do To Protect Them? - Part I
By: Jeffery Warren and Aron Olson
In 2011, a 5-year old boy was severely injured at a public playground when he fell through a second floor opening around a fireman's pole in a playhouse. He fell more than seven feet and struck a bare concrete floor. We are thankful that he eventually recovered from his injuries. The person who designed and built the playground was accused of negligence. A lawsuit ensued, and eventually settled in favor of the boy.
