Airbag Deployment Injuries in NC Accidents

The Bottom Line

Airbags deploy at 100 to 200 mph in as little as 20 to 30 milliseconds -- and that force saves lives. But the same explosive deployment that prevents you from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard can cause its own injuries: rib fractures, sternum fractures, facial burns, hand injuries, and more. These injuries are fully compensable as part of your NC car accident claim. In rare cases where the airbag itself was defective, you may also have a separate product liability claim against the manufacturer.

The Physics of Airbag Deployment

An airbag is a controlled explosion. When sensors detect a collision, a chemical propellant ignites and generates a burst of gas that inflates the airbag in approximately 20 to 30 milliseconds -- faster than you can blink. The bag reaches full inflation at speeds between 100 and 200 mph, depending on the severity of the detected collision.

Your body, still moving forward from the impact, collides with the inflating or fully inflated airbag. The bag absorbs your forward momentum and then rapidly deflates. The entire sequence -- from sensor activation to full deflation -- takes less than one second.

During that fraction of a second, enormous forces are applied to your chest, face, arms, and hands. The airbag prevents catastrophic injuries like skull fractures, facial lacerations from windshield glass, and fatal chest impacts against the steering column. But the deployment itself transfers significant energy to your body.

Common Airbag Injuries

Rib and Sternum Fractures

The frontal airbag deploys directly into your chest. The impact force can fracture ribs or the sternum (breastbone), particularly in smaller individuals, elderly occupants, or people sitting close to the steering wheel. Rib fractures cause sharp pain with breathing, difficulty taking deep breaths, and tenderness over the fracture site.

Rib fractures typically heal in 6 to 8 weeks with rest and pain management. Sternum fractures may take longer. The critical concern with chest injuries is what they may be masking -- a rib fracture can accompany a collapsed lung (pneumothorax), bruised heart (cardiac contusion), or damage to underlying organs.

Facial Abrasions and Burns

The airbag fabric deploys at extreme speed and makes direct contact with your face. This can cause friction burns and abrasions across the forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin. The chemical propellant used to inflate the airbag -- typically sodium azide -- releases hot gases that can cause chemical burns to exposed skin.

These injuries are often dramatic in appearance but typically heal within 2 to 4 weeks. In some cases, deeper burns or abrasions may leave permanent scarring, which is a compensable damage in your claim.

Hand and Wrist Fractures

If your hands are on the steering wheel when the airbag deploys, the explosive force drives the steering wheel downward while simultaneously blasting the bag upward. Your hands and wrists absorb tremendous force from both directions. Common injuries include fractures of the small bones in the hand (metacarpals and phalanges), wrist fractures (particularly scaphoid fractures that are notorious for being missed on initial X-rays), and tendon and ligament damage in the fingers and wrists.

Hand injuries from airbag deployment can be particularly disabling because they affect your ability to work, drive, grip, type, and perform virtually every daily task.

Eye Injuries

The chemical propellant and particulate matter released during airbag deployment can cause corneal abrasions (scratches on the surface of the eye), chemical irritation from sodium azide residue, and in rare cases, retinal detachment or other serious ocular trauma. If you experience eye pain, blurred vision, or excessive tearing after airbag deployment, see an ophthalmologist promptly.

Hearing Damage

Airbag deployment produces a noise that can exceed 170 decibels -- louder than a gunshot and well above the threshold for instant hearing damage. This can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and ruptured eardrums. Hearing damage from airbag deployment is often overlooked in the immediate aftermath when more visible injuries take priority. See our detailed guide on hearing loss and tinnitus after car accidents for more on this underreported injury.

Airbag Injuries as Part of Your Crash Claim

When another driver causes the accident that triggers your airbag, your airbag injuries are part of your total damages against that at-fault driver. The legal reasoning is direct causation.

The at-fault driver caused the collision. The collision triggered the airbag. The airbag caused your injuries. Without the collision, the airbag would not have deployed and you would not have been injured. The at-fault driver is responsible for the full chain of events.

This means your rib fractures, facial burns, hand injuries, and any other airbag-related damage are added to your total claim value -- not separated from it, not discounted, and not treated as somehow less legitimate than injuries caused by direct impact.

When the Airbag Itself Is Defective: Product Liability

In some cases, the airbag does not function as designed. When the airbag itself is defective, you may have a product liability claim against the manufacturer -- in addition to your claim against the at-fault driver.

Situations that may indicate a defective airbag include the airbag deploying in a minor collision where deployment was not warranted (low-speed fender benders typically should not trigger deployment), the airbag failing to deploy in a collision where it should have, the airbag deploying with excessive force beyond its design specifications, and the airbag deploying late -- after the occupant has already struck the steering wheel or dashboard.

Product liability claims against vehicle or airbag manufacturers are complex and typically require expert analysis of the airbag module, the vehicle's event data recorder (black box), and the deployment parameters.

The Takata Airbag Recall

The Takata airbag recall is the largest automotive recall in history, affecting tens of millions of vehicles across virtually every major manufacturer. The defect involves the airbag inflator -- the component that generates the gas to inflate the bag. Defective Takata inflators use ammonium nitrate propellant that can degrade over time, especially in hot and humid climates. When a degraded inflator deploys, it can rupture the metal canister and send shrapnel into the vehicle cabin.

This defect has caused deaths and serious injuries worldwide.

Documenting Airbag Injuries

Airbag injuries require specific documentation strategies.

Photograph everything immediately. Facial burns, chest bruising, hand swelling, and any visible injuries should be photographed within the first 24 hours. Take photos from multiple angles and in good lighting. Continue photographing as injuries develop over the following days -- bruising from chest trauma often darkens and spreads over 48 to 72 hours.

Preserve the airbag module. If there is any possibility of a product liability claim, the physical airbag is critical evidence. Instruct the body shop or towing company not to discard any airbag components. If the vehicle is totaled, retrieve the airbag module before the vehicle goes to salvage. Putting this instruction in writing is recommended.

Get thorough diagnostic imaging. Chest X-rays may miss some injuries. If you have chest pain after airbag deployment, push for a CT scan to rule out internal injuries. For hand and wrist injuries, make sure the imaging includes the small bones -- scaphoid fractures in particular are frequently missed on initial X-rays and may require dedicated scaphoid views or an MRI.

Report the mechanism to your doctor. Specifically tell your treating physician that the airbag deployed and that your injuries resulted from the deployment. This creates the medical record connecting your injuries to the airbag event, which the insurance company needs to see in your documentation.

Medical Treatment and Recovery

Most airbag injuries are treated conservatively.

Rib fractures heal with rest and pain management over 6 to 8 weeks. There is no cast or surgical fixation for most rib fractures -- the treatment is managing pain well enough that you can breathe deeply and avoid pneumonia. Severe cases with multiple fractures (flail chest) may require hospitalization.

Facial burns and abrasions are treated with wound care, topical antibiotics, and time. Most heal within 2 to 4 weeks. If scarring results, scar revision procedures may be appropriate after the initial healing is complete.

Hand and wrist fractures may require splinting, casting, or surgical fixation depending on the specific bones involved and the degree of displacement. Recovery ranges from 4 weeks for minor fractures to several months for complex hand injuries requiring surgery and rehabilitation.

Eye injuries vary widely from minor irritation resolving in days to serious conditions requiring ophthalmological surgery. Any vision changes after airbag deployment warrant prompt specialist evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get compensation for injuries caused by the airbag in my car?▾

Yes. If another driver caused the accident that triggered your airbag, then airbag injuries are part of your total damages. The at-fault driver caused the collision, the collision triggered the airbag, and the airbag caused your injuries. The entire chain of causation traces back to the at-fault driver. Your airbag injuries are compensable just like any other injury from the crash -- they increase your claim value rather than reducing it.

When might I have a product liability claim for an airbag injury?▾

You may have a product liability claim against the airbag or vehicle manufacturer if the airbag deployed when it should not have (such as in a very low-speed collision), failed to deploy when it should have, deployed with excessive force beyond design specifications, or used a defective component like the recalled Takata inflators. Product liability claims are separate from your claim against the at-fault driver and can be pursued simultaneously.

How do I know if my vehicle has a recalled Takata airbag?▾

Check your vehicle identification number (VIN) at NHTSA.gov/recalls. Enter your VIN and the site will tell you if your vehicle has any open recalls, including the Takata airbag recall. The Takata recall affects tens of millions of vehicles across nearly every major manufacturer. If your vehicle is affected, get the airbag replaced at a dealership for free -- the manufacturer is required to cover the cost. Do not delay, as defective Takata inflators can send metal shrapnel into the vehicle cabin during deployment.

Should I keep the airbag after an accident if I suspect it was defective?▾

Yes. If there is any possibility of a product liability claim, the airbag module is critical physical evidence. Tell the body shop or repair facility not to discard the deployed airbag or any airbag components. If the vehicle is totaled, retrieve the airbag module before the vehicle is sent to salvage. An expert can examine the airbag to determine if it deployed correctly, with appropriate force, and whether any components were defective.