Seat Belts that Don't Always Work?

It is shocking to think that a seat belt can cause serious injuries. The very device that is there to protect you can cause severe injury if it does not function properly. This can result in death or paralysis. Learn more from our attorneys!

Wrongful death can occur from various types of seat belt injuries. For example, a passenger could be ejected upon a rear-end collision if the car was equipped with lap-only seat belt design. Or they could be caused to submarine forward upon a frontal impact by that same defect seat belt design.

Other seat belt wrongful deaths can occur from a defect inertial release or a mechanical component failure. These failures can kill the occupant of the car when the seat belt releases during a car accident. Wrongful death in these situations often occurs when the passenger is ejected from the vehicle. In addition, in design defect cases where the seat belt anchor is improperly placed, wrongful death can occur when the passenger moves towards the roof during a rollover.

Still other seat belt defects exist which can wrongfully injure or cause death. One such common seat belt defect in wrongful death cases is that the retractor component of the seatbelt can supply "slack" in the seat belt, which allows the occupant far too much room to move around in the seat. This movement can lead to fatal injuries in the event of a crash.