Airbags are vital pieces of safety equipment and no doubt save many thousands of lives every year. What happens if they deploy needlessly because of an error in the air bag installation, or when they deploy as a result of a minor crash that isn’t your fault?
Even if you only have a bump which causes the air bag mechanism to activate, it can be an expensive exercise getting the air bag replaced. If the accident wasn’t your fault, or the original airbag was faulty, you may be considering filing a personal injury claim to cover the fitting of a new air bag. If you do experience any difficulties filing a claim you should contact an experienced attorney to provide legal advice and help you to secure compensation.
Compensation for the Replacement of a Deployed Airbag
New airbags can be surprisingly expensive. If your airbag deployed unnecessarily and you suspect that it was a defect in the mechanism or the airbag deployed in a minor crash which wasn’t your fault, you should consider filing a claim for compensation. The bill for airbag replacement may be added to whatever else you have had to replace if an accident happened.
The cost of a new airbag varies, of course, on the type of device fitted and some cost more than others. Professional fitting of an airbag, including the labor charge, could be anything from $1,500 up to as much as $6,000. Having to get an airbag fitted shouldn’t stop you from driving your auto unless there was something else that needed fixing, but there is a certain amount of inconvenience involved which could be considered when compiling the claim.
You Must Prove That You Were Not at Fault
All personal injury claims need to be accompanied by proof that someone else’s negligence was involved. In the case of an airbag that deploys this may be because of a defective product, or because of an accident caused by someone else. Deployed air bags can save your life, or at least help to reduce the injuries when a crash occurs, but you are still left with the cost of replacing them if your car is not a total wreck.
You will need to have proof either that the airbag deployed suddenly without any reason, or that another driver crashed into you or at least caused you to crash. Typical evidence includes a police report, if one was compiled, eye witness statements, photos of the crash scene and a report from the car repair yard that has been used to do the repair.
Why a PI Lawyer Can Prove Useful
To get compensation you must file a claim with the relevant body, normally the at-fault party’s insurer. In the case of an airbag deployed during a crash, you would file the claim with the other driver’s insurer.
Often, this is delayed when the insurer doubts that the airbag was deployed because of a defect or that the accident was their client’s fault. This is when the legal advice and assistance that a personal injury attorney can provide can prove indispensable when filing a claim. Use the Free Case Evaluation to be put in contact with a lawyer in your area.
