Every parent is told that the back seat is the safest place for a child. While this continues to be true, a particular failure by automakers to meet safety standards can make the backseat of the car a dangerous place for children. According to CBS News, seat back failures may have been responsible for over 100 injuries and deaths in the last thirty years. Most of the victims have been children.
If you or your family has been a victim of seat back failure, professional experts can help you seek compensation. Here are some things to consider regarding your case.
Why Does Seat Back Failure Occur?
Car seats are required to meet strength standards because they are meant to stay upright in the event of a crash. Seat back failure occurs when the seatback collapses or breaks under impact, causing the seat to fall backwards. In the most tragic cases, a passenger in the back seat can be hit and injured by a collapsing car seat back. If a child is hit, it can result in severe skull or facial fractures, spinal injuries, or even death.
Guidelines for car seats strength were established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but these guidelines have not been updated since the 1960s, and experts agree that these standards do not offer the necessary protection for drivers. More expensive models, like BMWs and Volvos, may already manufacture their seats to withstand stronger impacts, but not everyone can afford these vehicles. Most car buyers do not consider the strength of seatbacks when shopping for new vehicles, and many dealers are unprepared to answer such questions.
This year, lawmakers are looking to pass laws that will update guidelines and make seats safer for passengers. Meanwhile, those pursuing legal compensation for victims seek out the opinion of experts, as well as testing documentation, to bring automakers to terms.
What is Needed to Win a Seat Back Failure Case?
If you were in an accident in which the seat back broke or collapsed and you are seeking financial compensation, your case relies heavily on professional expertise. Certain professionals an attorney might call upon are mechanical engineers, accident reconstruction experts, medical experts, and automobile safety engineers. These experts are crucial in establishing what the failure precisely was, and what the consequences of that failure were.
A good attorney will be prepared for any arguments that automakers will make defending the current design of their vehicle seat backs. Automakers may argue that easily collapsing seatbacks are ultimately safer. Evidence shows that this is not true. It is essential to have a knowledgeable expert to counter automakers’ faulty claims.
Contact Glokal Law
Were you or someone in your family hurt by a vehicular seat back failure. Do you seek compensation? Contact Alison Gokal of Gokal Law Group, Inc. Our team will gather the experts you need to build a case and get the best result for you.
Glokal Law Group is a family firm that treats our clients as if they were our own flesh and blood. We fight for our clients as we would our own children, sisters, brothers, and parents. We are our clients’ Warriors, fighting to bring them justice and right the wrongs they have endured.
Each attorney has a specific practice area for which they are tried, tested, and battle-ready. Each has vast years of experience in their practice area, providing them the knowledge, skills, and vision to fight and win. Learn more about Gokal Law Group.