Were you hurt by a malfunctioning airbag in Dallas, Texas? Safety systems should protect you during a crash. A Dallas defective airbag attorney at Trujillo Gonzalez, P.C. can help you seek accountability if it injured you instead of saving you from harm.
Call (972) 550-6818 for a free consultation and case review with a member of our experienced legal team.
Why Trujillo Gonzalez, P.C. is a Top Choice for Your Dallas Airbag Injury Case
Airbag cases are technical. They involve engineering data, recall records, and crash reconstruction. You need a firm with the experience to handle that kind of fight.
Injured drivers and passengers throughout Dallas, TX, choose our car accident lawyers in Dallas because:
- Our senior trial lawyer has successfully handled over 300 trials and arbitrations
- We have recovered nearly $300 million dollars for severely injured clients
- Our legal team has been recognized for our skills and success by Texas Lawyer Magazine
- We offer representation in English and in Spanish to clients injured in car accidents
- We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you
Contact our Dallas law office to speak with an experienced Dallas airbag injury attorney about your legal options.
How Defective Airbags Cause Severe Harm
Airbags deploy within milliseconds with powerful force. Proper operation protects the driver and passengers during an impact. However, when components fail, catastrophic injuries can occur to anyone impacted by the airbag.
Common failures include:
- The airbag fails to inflate even though the impact severity required protection.
- Inflation occurs too late, failing to protect occupants before the primary impact.
- Excessive force during deployment that inflicts severe harm on vehicle occupants.
- Exploding inflator canisters that shoot sharp metal fragments into the cabin.
- Accidental deployment where unexpected inflation occurs without a collision (potentially leading to a collision).
Defective inflators have triggered massive automobile recalls across the country. Takata airbag inflators led to the largest recall in auto history after chemicals degraded from heat and humidity, causing metal housings to explode during deployment. Other manufacturers, including ARC Automotive, have also faced federal investigations and recalls.
Showing that your vehicle was part of a safety recall can support a product liability claim against the part manufacturer.
Common Injuries from Airbag Failures
Improper airbag deployment can cause many types of injuries. The exact type of injury depends on the specific defect and crash type.
Car crash statistics show that common injuries include:
- Chemical burns and skin scrapes caused by deployment gases
- Eye trauma, including permanent corneal damage
- Facial fractures
- Broken ribs and internal chest injuries
- Fractured bones
- Traumatic brain injuries caused by head impacts
- Fatal shrapnel wounds
- Severe impact injuries from deployment failure
Normal deployments can cause minor bruising. But the injuries listed above are anything but minor. You may have a personal injury claim if you experienced these or other harms due to an airbag injury.
Who Is Liable for Product Defect Injuries in Texas?
Texas product liability laws are set under Chapter 82 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. You generally do not need to prove traditional negligence. Instead, you must show that the safety device had an unreasonably dangerous defect that directly caused your injuries.
Responsible parties in a product liability claim may include:
- Automotive vehicle manufacturers
- Airbag module or inflator parts manufacturers
- Primary component suppliers
- Auto repair shops that improperly serviced or modified safety parts
- Dealerships under specific legal circumstances
Texas law recognizes claims involving design flaws, manufacturing errors, and marketing defects like inadequate warnings. An experienced attorney can help you discover the defect in your case and identify whose negligence contributed to the flaw.
Compensation in Airbag Injury and Wrongful Death Claims
Airbag injuries range from minor burns to severe trauma. A personal injury claim should account for all current and long-term losses caused by the defect.
Economic and non-economic damages will cover your personal and financial losses such as medical care, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of consortium.
If a defective airbag causes a fatal accident, surviving family members, such as a spouse, children, or parents, may file a wrongful death lawsuit in Texas. These claims seek financial compensation for lost financial support and companionship, with the victim’s estate having the opportunity to recover medical bills and funeral costs prior to death.
An experienced attorney can help you assess your damages and determine the full value of your claim, going as far as working with experts to pinpoint your losses.
Texas Statute of Limitations for Product Defect Lawsuits
Under Texas law, the general deadline for filing a personal injury claim is two years from the date of the injury. Texas also enforces a 15-year statute of repose, which limits product liability claims against manufacturers based on the original sale date of the vehicle. Taking prompt legal action is critical to avoid missing key deadlines.
How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost?
Most car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, where the lawyer is paid only if you recover money through a settlement or verdict. The fee is a percentage of that recovery, commonly around 33% and up to 40% if it goes to litigation or trial.
Case expenses are a separate matter. These can include court filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, and accident reconstruction. Some agreements deduct them before the fee is calculated and others after, which changes your take-home amount.
We use contingency fees in all personal injury cases and are happy to explain our structure during your free consultation.
Contact a Dallas Airbag Injury Attorney Today
Airbag safety systems are meant to save lives. When product defects cause unexpected injury, responsible manufacturers should be held accountable.
At Trujillo Gonzalez, P.C., our lawyers have the resources and courtroom experience to take on major auto manufacturers. Contact our Dallas personal injury attorneys today for a free, confidential case evaluation. You will not owe any legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.
