Airbag injuries from a car crash can leave you with burns, eye injuries, facial fractures, nerve damage, hearing problems, chest trauma, or other types of potentially catastrophic harm caused by a defective airbag that never should have deployed the way it did.
At OG Law, we understand how frustrating it feels when a safety device becomes part of the injury story. We help injured people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey look at every possible source of compensation, including the at-fault driver, an insurance company, a vehicle manufacturer, or another responsible party.
Airbags Can Save Lives and Still Cause Serious Harm
An airbag deploys with major force in a fraction of a second. That force can help protect a driver or passenger from striking the steering wheel, dashboard, or windshield. Still, the same force can cause severe injuries, especially when a person sits close to the wheel, wears glasses, has a smaller frame, or suffers a crash at an unusual angle.
Airbag deployment injuries often affect the face, neck, chest, arms, hands, and eyes. Some people have bruising and swelling that fade over time. Others deal with deep burns from airbags, corneal scratches, broken facial bones, nerve symptoms, or breathing trouble after chemical dust enters the air inside the vehicle.
A claim should not dismiss those injuries as “normal” just because an airbag deployed during a crash. Normal deployment does not mean harmless deployment. The key question is whether another person or company caused the crash, worsened the injury, or allowed a dangerous airbag defect to reach the road.
Immediate Steps That Protect an Airbag Injury Claim
Medical care is the first priority after any crash-related injury. Airbag trauma can look minor at first, then become more painful over the next several days. Burns, eye pain, headaches, ringing ears, numbness, and chest pain should be documented clearly because those records help connect the injury to the collision.
You should also keep the vehicle available for inspection when possible. The crash data, airbag module, seat belt system, steering wheel, dashboard, and front-end damage can help show how the airbags deployed and whether the system worked as intended.
A claim becomes stronger when you save the medical records, photos of injuries, repair records, insurance letters, recall notices, and any paperwork showing missed work or out-of-pocket costs. A lawyer from our team will use those records to build a timeline that explains what happened, how the airbag caused harm, and why compensation should reflect the full extent of the injury.
Who May Be Responsible for Airbag Injuries?
Many airbag claims begin with the driver who caused the crash. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, an injured person may have a claim when another driver’s careless conduct caused the collision and the airbag injury followed from that crash. That can include rear-end crashes, intersection collisions, highway wrecks, and multi-vehicle impacts.
Some cases also involve a defective airbag injury. An airbag may deploy too late, fail to deploy, deploy with too much force, deploy during a minor impact, or send metal fragments into the cabin. In those cases, the claim may involve a manufacturer, parts supplier, dealership, repair shop, or another company tied to the vehicle’s safety system.
An attorney will look beyond the police report and insurance claim number. The investigation will focus on the cause of the crash, the vehicle’s condition, any recalls, repair history, black box data, and whether the airbag system met accepted safety standards.
Common Injuries Caused By Airbag Deployment
Airbag trauma can create several different claim issues because the injuries often touch sensitive parts of the body. Facial injuries crash victims may suffer broken noses, dental injuries, cuts, bruising, jaw pain, and scars that affect appearance and confidence long after the vehicle is repaired.
Burns from airbags can also cause lasting pain. Some burns come from friction when the fabric hits the skin. Others involve heat or chemical irritation during deployment. These injuries can require wound care, medication, follow-up visits, and treatment for scarring or skin discoloration.
Other airbag deployment injuries may include eye trauma, hearing loss, wrist injuries, thumb injuries, rib injuries, sternum injuries, asthma flare-ups, and neck pain. A strong claim should explain the whole injury picture, not just the first diagnosis listed in the emergency room record.
Takata Airbag Claims Need Careful Review
A Takata airbag lawsuit can involve serious injuries caused by recalled inflators. The Takata recalls affected millions of vehicles because some inflators could rupture, sending sharp metal fragments toward drivers or passengers. These cases require careful review because the claim may involve both crash liability and product liability issues.
Not every airbag injury involves Takata, and not every recalled vehicle creates the same type of claim. The year, make, model, recall status, repair history, and location of the inflator can all affect the investigation. A defective airbag injury claim needs vehicle-specific proof, not broad assumptions.
OG Law will review whether a recall applied, whether the owner received notice, whether repairs were completed, and whether the airbag system played a direct role in the harm. That review can help identify whether the claim belongs only against a negligent driver or whether a product claim should also be considered.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey Claim Rules Can Affect Recovery
Pennsylvania and New Jersey both have insurance rules that can affect a crash claim before anyone talks about a product defect. Pennsylvania drivers often have limited tort or full tort coverage. Limited tort can restrict pain and suffering claims unless the injury meets certain legal standards, while full tort usually gives broader rights to pursue non-economic damages.
New Jersey also has insurance choices that can affect injury claims, including lawsuit threshold issues for some policies. A serious injury, permanent injury, significant scarring, disfigurement, displaced fracture, or similar harm can change the legal analysis. Facial injuries that crash victims suffer may deserve close review because scarring, nerve damage, dental trauma, and fractures can affect both the medical claim and the legal threshold.
Deadlines also deserve attention. Both Pennsylvania (42 Pa. C.S. § 5524) and New Jersey (N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2) generally give injured people two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. Product claims, insurance claims, and injury claims can require detailed review well before that deadline, especially when the vehicle needs inspection.
Evidence That Can Support an Airbag Injury Claim
Strong evidence can separate a serious injury claim from an insurance dispute built on guesswork. Airbag cases often require both medical and mechanical evidence because the injury may involve the crash forces, the deployment path, and the safety system itself.
Helpful evidence may include:
- Emergency room records, urgent care records, imaging, photographs of injuries, specialist notes, therapy records, and scar treatment records.
- Vehicle photos, repair estimates, recall records, airbag module data, black box data, seat belt information, inspection reports, and crash reconstruction findings.
- Wage records, job restriction notes, pharmacy receipts, mileage records for medical visits, and statements from people who saw how the injury changed your daily life.
An attorney will gather and organize that proof in a way that answers the questions insurers usually ask. The claim should show not only that the crash happened, but also that the airbag injury caused real medical, financial, and personal losses.
Compensation May Include More Than Medical Bills
A claim for airbag injuries after a car accident trauma may include emergency care, follow-up visits, eye care, dental treatment, and surgery. It could also involve scar revision, medication, therapy, and future medical needs. It may also include lost income if the injury kept you from working or limited your ability to do your job.
Compensation can also address pain, discomfort, loss of sleep, visible scarring, anxiety in vehicles, and the loss of activities you enjoyed before the crash. These losses can feel difficult to describe, especially when an insurance adjuster focuses only on bills and photos.
OG Law will work to show the full effect of the injury. We will review the medical records, speak with treatment providers when needed, calculate financial losses, and press the insurer or responsible company for a result that reflects what the injury actually took from you.
How Our Team Builds These Cases
Airbag cases require careful screening because several paths may be open simultaneously. One claim may involve the careless driver who caused the crash. Another may involve a manufacturer or supplier if a defective airbag injury made the outcome worse. Insurance coverage may also come from more than one policy.
Our team will investigate the crash, review the vehicle, identify insurance coverage, review the medical records, and determine whether the airbag system requires further inspection. A lawyer from OG Law will also handle communication with insurers, so you do not have to answer pressure-filled questions alone.
OG Law has helped accident victims for more than a quarter of a century. During that time, our attorneys have helped clients obtain hundreds of millions of dollars. We prepare claims with the seriousness they deserve because insurers and large companies often respond differently when they see a case built with detail from the start.
Talk to Us About Airbag Injuries After Car Accident Claims
Airbag injuries after car accident trauma can leave you with pain, scarring, medical bills, and questions about whether the vehicle’s safety system worked the way it should have. A Takata airbag lawsuit can become more complicated when the crash involves burns from airbags, serious eye trauma, or evidence that the airbag deployed with unusual force.
OG Law will review your case, explain your options under Pennsylvania or New Jersey law, and move quickly to protect important evidence before the vehicle, records, or airbag components become harder to examine. Please use our online form or call 855-604-9192 for a free consultation. We can help you pursue the compensation you deserve with strength, focus, and care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an airbag injury claim be valid if the airbag worked correctly?
Yes. A valid claim can still exist if another driver caused the crash and the airbag injury followed from the collision. The airbag does not have to be defective for the crash-related injury to be part of your damages.
What if I did not notice the airbag injury until the next day?
Delayed pain is common after a crash because adrenaline can hide symptoms at first. Medical records documenting when symptoms appeared can help link the injury to the accident.
Can passengers file claims for airbag injuries?
Yes. Passengers may have claims against the at-fault driver, a vehicle owner, an insurance company, or a product manufacturer, depending on what caused the crash and how the airbag injury happened.
