Pennsylvania Seatbelt Injury Attorneys

Most of us count on seatbelts to keep us safe in the event of a serious auto accident. Since they were first introduced in 1964, seatbelts have no doubt saved thousands of lives in auto accidents. There have also been several important safety advancements with regard to seatbelts. However, there is also a significantly large number of seatbelt defects that can cause these restraint systems to unbuckle or fail to perform in a serious traffic collision or a rollover crash. Such seatbelt defects and consequent seatbelt failure can result in catastrophic injuries or even death to the vehicle's occupants. When this occurs, injured victims or families of deceased victims are entitled to file product liability or wrongful death claims against the manufacturer of the defective seatbelts.

Many of these product defects occur because auto makers have not spent the time or the money to improve the seat restraint systems in their vehicles despite their knowledge of failures and defects. They have failed to take action because they are concerned that new and updated technology could cost them more money. Ultimately, these auto makers put profits over the safety and well-being of the consumers who trust these auto industry giants to manufacture a safe vehicle.

Seatbelt defect injuries can happen for a number of reasons including the following:

Inertial unlatching and false latching: Inertial latching occurs when the seatbelt becomes unlatched during a crash, allowing the latch plate to pull out of the buckle. Several recent tests have shown how the intensity of a crash can cause the unlatching to occur. False latching occurs when the latch plate appears to be latched when inserted into the buckle, but is not fully engaged. Even small amounts of force such as those in a fender bender rear-end crash can cause a falsely latched buckle to completely release the latch plate. When these types of unlatching occur, the vehicle occupant is essentially unrestrained and moves as though he or she were never belted. In more intense crashes such as rollover accidents, vehicle occupants could even be ejected and be catastrophically injured or killed.

Retractor failure: The seatbelt retractor is supposed to lock the seatbelt webbing and hold the occupant in place. But when the retractor fails to lock properly, what results in seatbelt slack. This is dangerous and could result in serious injury or death because a loose-fitting belt does not secure occupants as they should be secured. Retractor failure can occur because of manufacturing or design defects.

Torn or ripped webbing: Seatbelt webbing should be designed to withstand the forces of most collisions without ripping or tearing. But when seatbelt webbing fails or tears in half or comes apart during an accident, it is most likely because of a manufacturing defect in the webbing.

Door-mounted or automatic restraint systems: These types of seatbelts pose risks of occupant ejection when the door opens during an auto accident resulting in severe injuries.

Lap belt designs: Lap-only belts have proven to be less effective than a three-point restraint system. These types of belts can result in fatal or severe head, spinal cord or other internal injuries.

If you suspect you or someone you love has been seriously injured or killed because of a defective seatbelt, please call the Philadelphia auto product liability attorneys at Anapol Schwartz to discuss your case. You may be entitled to file a product liability claim and secure significant compensation for your injuries and losses. Call us today for a free consultation.

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