Were your car accident injuries caused or made worse by a faulty airbag? If you know or even just suspect that this is the case, an airbag injury lawyer from our Jacksonville, FL, legal team wants to help you.
At Ged Lawyers, we help accident victims like you stand up to big corporations that think they can get away with putting customers in harm’s way. Our Jacksonville product liability lawyer can prove them wrong by fighting hard for your rights. Call us today to learn more during a free initial consultation.
What Is the Average Settlement for Jacksonville Airbag Injury Cases?
There is no average settlement for when airbags fail to deploy, deploy when they are not supposed to, or otherwise malfunction. Rather, our Jacksonville personal injury lawyer can calculate the exact worth of your specific injuries. Compensable damages include but are not limited to:
- The physical and emotional trauma you have endured because of the accident, including mental illness, pain, and loss of range of motion
- Disabling injuries that prevent you, either temporarily or permanently, from using your body in all of the ways you did before
- The loss of quality of life that resulted from sustaining such grievous injuries and that keep you from living life the way you would like to do
- All medical bills associated with your injuries, including the cost of treating wounds, managing symptoms, and improving daily function
- The damage done to your personal property, including your motor vehicle and electronic devices that no longer work as they once did
- The salary or job benefits you were unable to earn or that you will be unable to earn in the years ahead because your injuries keep you from doing your job or from finding a new job
Building Your Airbag Injury Case in Jacksonville
Under Florida law, you have the right to seek compensation from anyone, including a manufacturer who put you in danger by behaving negligently. That said, there are certain conditions your case will have to meet before you can take advantage of this right:
You Must Start Your Jacksonville Case Within the Statute of Limitations Deadline
Per Florida Statutes § 95.11(4)(a), Jacksonville residents have two years to file a personal injury case. Failure to meet this deadline could mean that your case gets rejected and you do not receive the compensation you need.
To protect your rights, our Jacksonville airbag injury lawyer encourages you to talk to us as soon as possible.
You Must Prove Negligence Caused the Airbag Injury
The manufacturer might try to argue that:
- You used the airbag incorrectly
- They took reasonable action to prevent such injuries (e.g., issuing a recall), and it is not their fault if those measures did not protect you
- The airbag malfunction was a freak event that no one could have foreseen
As an airbag injury attorney in Jacksonville, it is our job to find evidence of negligence in our clients’ cases by examining the police report, the manufacturer’s records, video footage, and any other materials we can find.
You Must Prove the Airbag Caused Your Injury
The manufacturer might also try to claim that your injuries were caused by something other than the defective airbag. Ged Lawyers can prove that the airbag was the sole or primary source of your suffering by:
- Collecting testimony from you and anyone else who was in the vehicle about what you remember regarding the accident
- Looking at your medical records, which include official diagnoses
- Talking to medical experts who can confirm that the airbag was the most likely cause of your injuries
What Kinds of Injuries Can Airbags Cause?
Traffic accidents can be extremely violent, throwing drivers and passengers alike around the car and, in some cases, ejecting them from the vehicle. Even seatbelts are not always enough to prevent serious injuries, which is why airbags exist to provide extra protection.
When airbags do not work, you are deprived of an additional layer of safety promised by the manufacturer. Common airbag injuries include:
- Soft tissue injuries, including bruises, strains, and sprains
- Bone fractures
- Irritation or burns caused by the chemicals in the airbag
- Head and brain injuries
- Internal injuries to your organs
When Airbags Fail to Prevent Fatalities in Jacksonville
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that, from 1987 to 2017, functional airbags saved over 50,000 lives. It is therefore not surprising that an airbag failure or malfunction can kill someone who otherwise would have survived.
If your loved one did not survive their airbag injuries, please accept our condolences. The team at Ged Lawyers can pursue a wrongful death case against the negligent manufacturer so you can get both justice and fair damages after the preventable loss of life.
What to Do After Suffering an Airbag Injury in Jacksonville
Your first concern after getting into an accident should be your health and the health of the other people in the vehicle. Even if you look and feel okay, go to the hospital or make an appointment with your regular doctor immediately. This can:
- Ensure early detection of internal injuries or injuries whose symptoms appear after a delay
- Generate a helpful medical record that we can use to connect your injuries with the airbag malfunction
- Contribute to a more complete portrait of the financial cost of your injuries, especially the past and future cost of medical treatment
- Prevent you from suffering any more than you have to by enabling you to begin treatment right away
Be honest with your doctor about how you are feeling and, when you contact our firm, be honest with us about everything that happened before, during, and after the accident. This will give us the information we need to quantify your injuries and seek the damages you need to get back on your feet.
Let Us Evaluate Your Jacksonville Airbag Injury Today
Do you still have questions about your personal injury case, or are you ready to start legal action right away? No matter where you are in the process, call Ged Lawyers for a free case review today. We can answer all of your questions about our Jacksonville airbag injury lawyer, including how we can fight for your family.
