Seat Belts in Rollovers

Losing someone in any type of accident is heart breaking, but it is even more painful when someone is catastrophically injured or killed by a device which exists only to protect us from harm and which we are required by law to use.

Seatbelt failure can seriously injure or kill vehicle occupants in any type of accident, even minor accident which otherwise would have caused only minor injuries or no injuries at all. When seatbelts fail in rollover accidents the chance of serious injury or death is elevated even more.

In rollover accidents seat belts which are properly designed and function as intended protect vehicle occupants by minimizing their movement and reducing the risk of impacting the interior of the vehicle and by preventing ejection. When seat belts fail, not only is all protection is lost, but additional and more forceful impact can be caused by the seatbelt itself.

Common seat belt defects and malfunctions

In determining if your injuries may have been caused by your seat belt, it helps to be aware of common seat belt malfunctions and how to recognize them.

• “Window shade” device - The window shade device allows the occupant to easily create slack in the shoulder strap so that he or she can move around comfortably. Tugging on the strap activates the retractor and takes up the slack. Most occupants are not aware of the slack in the belt and do not activate the retractor, leaving them unprotected and open to even greater injuries caused by the excess slack.

• Automatic belts - The automatic shoulder strap is supposed to force drivers and occupants to wear their seat belts even if they forget. The result however is that most people wind up only wearing the shoulder strap. The lap belt portion is not automatic. This is far more dangerous than wearing no belt at all. The full force of the accident is often applied to the neck or head by the shoulder strap, causing neck injuries, spinal cord injuries, and often death. If the door comes open during a crash door mounted automatic belts can cause ejection from the vehicle.

• Unexpected unlatching – Seat belts can unintentionally unlatch without the driver or passenger knowing. Internal unlatching is caused by impact to the back of the buckle in buckles which have the latch on the front, even in low impact crashes. Protruding release can be easily pressed by simply being bumped and unlatching the seat belt. This can occur during an accident, or during normal driving conditions. This leaves occupants unprotected and can lead to ejection. After a crash involving unlatching it may appear that victims were not wearing a seat belt at all.

• Retractor failure – Retractor failure allows slack to be created in the belt. Excess slack is incredibly dangerous and is a common source of serious seat belt injuries. During an accident the retractor is supposed to lock, so that the belt cannot feed out. In rollover accidents the retractor may not activate until slack has already been created.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a defective seat belt in an SUV rollover accident, please e-mail us today to speak with an experienced SUV rollover lawyer.

 

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