Car wrecks are often the result of human error on the part of one or more drivers. However, there are times when auto accidents are beyond the control of the drivers. Auto defects can result in serious injuries and often make headline news.
Common auto defects
Auto defects can affect just about any part of a vehicle. However, some defects are worse than others and can affect critical parts of vehicles. In some cases these defects cause the crash. In others, they exacerbate the collision and result in serious injuries and sometimes death. Some examples of defects that can be particularly dangerous include:
- Defective airbags – These may fail to deploy, deploy too quickly or explode. This can result in serious injuries or death.
- Defective seatbelts – There have been cases of seatbelts breaking, failing or unbuckling during car accidents.
- Defective automobile roofs – There have been incidences of roofs collapsing in rollover accidents injuring the people in the vehicle.
- Defective ignition switches
- Defective tires
- Defective car seats
- Defective electronic components
In recent years, faulty airbags (Takata) as well as deadly ignition switches (General Motors) have made headline news as they resulted in serious injuries and deaths. These defects resulted in the recall of millions of vehicles throughout the US. They also resulted lawsuits that saw billions of dollars paid to victims.
What to do
A defective auto part does not need to have been subject to a major recall in order to claim compensation for injuries that it caused. You are still entitled to compensation from the manufacturer if your accident or injuries resulted from a defective part.
Automobile part manufacturers and automobile manufacturers are required to ensure that their products meet safety standards. If products are discovered to pose a danger to customers, manufacturers are required to communicate this danger to customers and fix the problems. A failure to do so entitles victims to file product liability lawsuits against the manufacturers or the parts as well as the car manufacturer when that part causes a serious injury.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by auto defects in the Atlanta metro area or anywhere in Georgia, it is vital to seek legal assistance at the earliest possible. Please call attorney Laurie Robbins for a free initial consultation. This will improve your chances of obtaining compensation for your injuries as well as any other damage that resulted from the accident. In some egregious cases, you may even be entitled to recover punitive damages as punishment to responsible parties.