Auto manufacturers design multiple components in a car to provide safety to occupants during a crash or collision. Whether it is the airbags, seat belts, the windshield, and other auto glasses, all of these have advanced features and have been manufactured using the latest technology.
But you must have heard about car accidents happening due to seatback failures. In fact, of all the crashes that happen every year on the roads in the United States, many of them occur because the seatback failed during the crash. As a result of seatback collapse, both the person in the seat as well as those in the rear seat end up with some of the most dangerous consequences. In many cases, injuries due to seatback failures are so severe that occupants either sustain serious neck fractures or spinal cord damage or lose their lives altogether.
Attorney Moses Yneges at The Accident Injury Law Center wants to talk to you if you or someone you know was injured due to a seatback failure. Read on to know more about accident injuries due to seatback collapse and whether or not you have the right to claim compensation from the auto manufacturer in this case. We want you to remain well-informed, in case you get hurt.
What is a Seatback Failure?
When vehicles are hit at a high rate of speed from behind, the bucket seats sometimes break and recline quickly. In some cases, they recline too fast, causing the person in the front seat to slip out of the front seat completely – toward the back seat, causing life-long injuries and possibly death.
During rear-end collisions, the seats of a car or SUV perform a key role in protecting the occupants from getting hurt. If there is a seatback failure, the person could either get thrust rearward or ejected from the vehicle. This can lead to lifetime injuries and possibly the death of the occupants in the event of a collision or crash. In an effort to cut costs, the auto industry has long neglected the quality of the seatbacks. Among other safety components of the car, seatbacks also need to be manufactured using the latest technology so that they do not collapse.
Seatback defects can put the lives of children at risk in particular if they happen to be in the car when a crash happens.
Seatback failures can lead to different types of injuries including:
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck fracture
- Broken bones
- Paralysis
- Amputation of limbs
- Deaths
If someone is seated in the rear seat when a car accident occurs, the person in the back (often a child) can be severely injured or killed from the impact. If you have been hurt or affected by a seatback failure, you may have a right to compensation against the auto manufacturer.
Seatback Collapse in Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions can happen anytime while driving a car on the road. In such a crash or collision, there are two safety components that have a crucial role to play – the seat and the headrest. If these two are strongly made, you can expect to remain in the seat as the collision happens.
But weak seatbacks fail to provide the needed support. During a rear-end collision, as the seat collapses, your head and neck become prone to getting potentially serious injuries. Not only that, the seatback failure also puts the lives of those in the rear seat in grave danger. There are many such accidents where the passengers in rear seats have been severely hurt or died. When a vehicle is rear-ended and the seat collapses, it is due to a manufacturing defect.
In such cases, the victim’s lawyers have argued the case in an aggressive manner and helped the former receive the claim amount in compensatory damages. If you or anyone close to you happens to be involved in these types of car collisions, you should seek the help of a personal injury attorney.
Evidence of Seatback Failures
After an accident happens due to seatback failures, you may have the right to claim for your loss. However, you will need to build a strong case and back it up with strong evidence. That is exactly why you should hire a personal injury lawyer who has multiple years of experience in dealing with such cases, gathering the strongest evidence, and representing cases aggressively.
Proof of seatback collapse includes:
- Rear-end collision and impact
- Potentially serious brain or spinal injuries sustained by occupants
- Deformed seatback
- Occupants thrusting towards the rear
- Broken or bent headrest
Depending on the unique nature of your case, there can be other proof of a seatback failure as well. An experienced auto accident lawyer or a personal injury attorney will give you more details in this regard.
Why Auto Seat Back Collapses
A car’s or SUV’s seatback collapses because it either has structural design problems or poor installation. If the manufacturer uses low-quality materials to design the seatback, you can never expect the product to be strong. Seatback can also fail because it was not assembled in a proper manner.
During a collision, the weight of the occupant creates a sudden pressure on the seatback and it collapses as a result.
If the seatback does not have a manufacturing defect and it has been designed using high quality materials, you will stay contained in the seat during a collision. To keep you protected, the seatback needs to remain strong and in an upright position. It is the same with the headrest. The component will fail to provide support, if it has a poor quality design or improper installation.
The Risk of Injury is High for Children
If the front seat of the colliding car fails, it is the children occupants who are at the most risk of sustaining serious injuries.
This fact is backed by a number of studies. If you are driving a car with children seated in the rear seat, a collision can put their lives in grave danger. In most cases of faulty seat injuries, children have been badly injured. However, such accidents will harm anyone who occupies the car. Over the recent years, many luxury car manufacturers have paid special attention to the design of the seats. But there are lots of car makers who have not yet woken up to this danger.
Importance of Auto Defect Cases
Most cases of seatback failure injuries happen due to no mistake of the person driving the car. Even if you are driving the vehicle in a proper manner, you can get hurt just because the seatback collapses.
Even though you are not at fault, such accidents will put you in serious trouble. As a result of the collapse, you may sustain serious physical injuries. Whether it is adults or children, failure of the seatback and headrest will hurt them. People have lost limbs and even their lives in such cases. If you are involved in such an accident, it can send you life off track. The physical, mental, and financial losses will make it extremely difficult for you to lead a normal life.
If not rightly compensated, individuals and families may never be able to get their life back on track again. That is exactly why auto defect cases are so important and must be dealt with legally.
Call Mr. Yneges to Schedule Your Free Consultation
Mr. Moses Yneges at the Accident Injury Law Center has successfully handled multiple cases of seatback failure. He and his team is well-known for filing personal injury lawsuits and helping injured motorists and passengers receive the rightful compensation for the loss and damages. If you plan to pursue a seatback failure claim, give his office in Orange, CA, a phone call.
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