Seat Belt Failure Lawyers
Although seatbelts are meant to protect vehicle occupants, a defective seatbelt can cause serious injuries or death in an accident if it fails mechanically or designed defectively. Some seatbelt injuries are the result of inertial releases and mechanical component failures, which can cause the seat belt to release during a car accident. Also, if a seatbelt anchor is not properly placed, it may not effectively prevent the passenger from moving. A defect in the retractor of the seatbelt, which can cause slack in the seatbelt, may also cause safety issues because it can allow an occupant too much movement in the seat, which can lead to injuries in the event of a crash.
Lap-belt only seatbelts are a common cause of injuries. An occupant restrained by a lap-belt only can slide up and backwards away from the lap-belt and out through a window, or they can down and forward, exposing the neck or spinal cord to serious injury.
Common seatbelt defects include:
- Automatic or door mounted seatbelts
- Broken seat belt buckles
- False latching and inertial unlatching
- Defective automatic shoulder belts
- Seat belt retractor failure
- Lap Belts - seatbelts with no shoulder harnesses
- Shoulder belt retractors that skip or fail to hold under load
- Shoulder belts that allow too much slack
Common seatbelt injuries include:
- Strangulation
- Bone fractures
- Concussions
- Contusions
- Death
- Head injury
If you or a loved one have been the victim of a seat belt failure injury, you have legal rights. Get a free legal consultation with the crashworthiness lawyers of Davis, Bethune & Jones, LLC by calling our firm at 1-800-875-5972 or by filling out the form at the right.
Additional Seatbelt Safety Resources
