Defective Seat Back

Seat belts, air bags, and effective brake systems are a primary focus in safety for automakers. However, seatbacks are equally important as they play a critical role in preventing injuries. That being said for over five decades, the auto industry has seemed to play down the importance of seat back safety.

When a seatback is flimsy or lacks the necessary strength needed to sustain a car accident it can collapse. This is especially common in rear-end accidents, even at speeds as low as 25 miles per hour. When a rear-ended collision happens, and the seatback is not as safe as it should be, the occupants may:

• Be partially or fully ejected from the vehicle
• Be thrown into the rear of the vehicle
• Lose control of the vehicle
• Injury occupants seated in the rear
• Cause severe injury to children in car seats
• Cause neck and spinal cord injuries because of excessive extension, or back and forth movement of the neck and spine

If you have been injured in an accident, and believe the seat back is attributed to these injuries, please call a defective seatback lawyer in Tennessee now.

Defective Seat Backs can Cause Serious Injury to Passengers

Even with drivers driving as cautiously as possible, auto accidents will always occur as long as vehicles are on the road. Because it is nearly impossible to eliminate all auto accidents, it is necessary to have as many safety measures as possible to protect those individuals within a vehicle. Specifically, car seats are designed and manufactured to remain intact during an auto accident to protect the passengers inside. However, a defective seat back can end up causing severe injuries to passengers in a collision. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective seat back, you may be entitled to compensation. At The Higgins Firm, our experienced Nashville defective seat back attorneys would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

What Exactly is a Seat Back?

Seat backs are the upright portion of a seat within a vehicle. Seat backs should be designed to keep passengers safe in a collision by slowing any momentum that an individual experiences during a collision. In addition, seat backs should prevent the passenger from impacting the interior or even being ejected entirely from the vehicle.

What Happens in a Seat Back Failure?

Although vehicles are supposed to protect individuals with safety devices, poor design or failure of these devices can result in severe injury or even death. One of the biggest problems with a defective seat back is the seat’s lack of strength. A seat back failure can prevent the restraint system from working properly. Without being properly restrained, individuals can impact passengers or objects in the rear seats in a rear-impact collision. The collapse of a front row seat back in a collision can end up severely injuring and even trapping those behind the collapsed seat. A seat back failure can even result in a passenger being completely ejected from the vehicle by sliding out from under safety restraints.

What Injuries can Result From a Defective Seat Back?

Although a collision may result in serious injury to those involved, a defective seat back can create even more harm to those involved. The injuries can range from the mild bruising or concussions to the most severe fatal injuries. Seat back injuries may include but are not limited to:

• Concussion
• Contusion
• Bone Fracture
• Internal Organ Damage
• Scarring
• Disfigurement
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Death

Seat Back Design Solutions

For many years, design and safety experts have been proposing safer seat back designs for vehicles. An example that has caught the eye of several automakers is a rigid seat back design that supports the head and is able to restrain a motorist who is seated in a normal posture at the time of an accident. According to these experts, rigid seats are able to stay anchored in a position, even during an impact.

Despite the recommendations that have been made to improve the safety of seatbacks, injuries continue to happen in contemporary vehicles because of the relatively low safety standards. If you or a loved one was injured by a seat back, please call a defective seat back lawyer in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Higgins Firm can Help You With Your Defective Seat Back Injuries

If you or a loved one may have been injured because of a defective seat back, we encourage you to call our experienced Nashville, TN defective seat back injury attorneys at The Higgins Firm. Our team of experienced Nashville attorneys will be happy to answer any questions that you may have as a result of your seat back injury. We put our clients first in everything that we do. At The Higgins Firm, we want to help you receive the compensation that you deserve for the injuries that you have suffered.

Contact us online or call us at 800.705.2121 to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options.