When you are driving your car there is always a chance that an accident might occur. Unfortunately, if you are in an accident, especially a high-speed accident, you or your passenger may get thrown from the vehicle. These types of accidents can be devastating both emotionally and physically. You hope that when you buy a car that the manufacturer has used the highest quality materials and that they have spent hundreds of hours designing the safest possible vehicle. However, it is a sad fact that many automobile makers would rather cut corners to save a few dollars than invest in the safety of you and your family.
While the auto industry has undergone many evolutions in the past hundred years the standards for safety have not always been so revolutionary or stringently applied. It may even be hard for a vehicle manufacturer to envision how someone could go through a windshield or that a door latch would fail, however, these types of defects happen and result in serious injuries. Who knows how many people could have been spared serious injuries or would still be alive today if all motor vehicle manufacturers met important safety requirements and standards, including the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 205 and 212 for vehicle windshields?
A motor vehicle occupant also risks complete or partial ejection from a motor vehicle during a rollover accident. About 50% of all rollover–related deaths occur due to occupant ejection.
A driver or passenger should never be placed in harm’s way and face the risk of being ejected from their car because a motor vehicle manufacturer was careless when they designed the safety features on a car, truck, or SUV. Our Philadelphia-based lawyers have successfully represented injury clients with products liability claims and lawsuits against large car manufacturers. We have obtained the substantial financial recovery for people who have been ejected from their vehicles because of defective auto parts. Contact The Reiff Law Firm for your free case evaluation.
Occupant Ejection Injuries
Whatever the events that lead up to a car crash when a person is ejected from an automobile because of an auto accident the results can be devastating. Someone who is ejected from the car often faces multiple types of injuries from the car accident itself, from being thrown through and from the car, and from the impact when they land. Obviously, injuries that result from an occupant being ejected can be catastrophic and severely painful. Injuries may include:
- Bone fractures,
- Amputated limbs,
- Scarring,
- Disfigurement,
- Head injury,
- Traumatic brain injury,
- Neck injury including whiplash,
- Spinal cord injury,
- Rib and torso injury
- Or death.
One of the most effective ways of protecting yourself or those in your car from being ejected in the event of an accident is to consistently use a safety restraint system such as a seat belt or car seat. Using a safety restraint system or a seat belt can reduce the chances of being ejected from a motor vehicle during a serious accident. In 2003, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that seat belt use saved the lives of about 14,900 motorists. It is important that you talk to an experienced and skilled defective products lawyer about your occupant ejection case.
Causes of Occupant Ejections
Cars are constantly being advertised with the newest and latest safety feature that is guaranteed to protect you and your family in the event of a crash. These safety features are the result of decades of engineering and sadly come from years of accidents where safety was not a major concern of the auto industry. However, despite motor vehicles being equipped with ever more advanced technologies, the sad fact is that if you are in an auto accident you still face the very real reality of being ejected from the car. Some of the most common reasons for being thrown from a car seem like they should have been resolved with all the technology employed by the auto industry. However, some of the most common causes of occupant ejections are listed below:
- Defective seat belts and car seats
- Rollover crashes – particularly with convertible tops
- Malfunctioning or ill-designed door latches
- Weak window and windshield glass
The Pennsylvania lawyers of The Reiff Law Firm work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery in the cases they handle. We do not get paid unless there is a successful recovery. We have handled thousand of personal injury and product liability cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars for our clients from our opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
Call the Pennsylvania law firm of The Reiff Law Firm at (215) 709-6940 today or contact us online to request your free consultation with an experienced attorney.
