Crashworthiness

In crashworthiness cases the cause of the collision is not the issue, but rather what the manufacturer could and should have done to ensure a vehicle's overall structural integrity and its ability to protect the occupants from injury in the event of a collision.

Crashworthiness refers to a vehicle's overall structural integrity, namely, the ability of a vehicle to protect its occupants from injury in the event of a collision. The cause of the collision is not the issue in crashworthiness cases, but rather what the manufacturer could and should have done to prevent or reduce the seriousness of a resulting injury. Thus, a plaintiff can be compensated for crashworthiness injuries in addition to the injuries that were caused by the accident itself.

A vehicle structural defect can exist when there is unnecessary intrusion of the vehicle into the passenger compartments. Unnecessary intrusion can include the following: intrusion that occurs in front of the rear axle in rear impact collisions; intrusion that occurs behind the dash and steering column in head-on collisions; intrusions upon the head of an occupant in side impact collisions; intrusions of the roof upon an occupant's head and neck during a rollover accident. Unfortunately, many manufacturers are not designing vehicles to safely withstand the forces involved in vehicle collisions. Under pressure to make vehicles fuel efficient and cut down on costs, manufacturers routinely use lightweight materials and lower gages of steel for things like body pillars, windshield headers and roof components. Furthermore, some manufacturers have replaced part of the welds with an industrial form of glue called "structural adhesive." While this practice may cut costs, it certainly does not contribute to vehicle crashworthiness.

A crashworthy, structurally sound vehicle should include things like quality seat belts, crumple zones, properly functioning airbags, side impact protection, interior padding and head rests. These features are designed to minimize injuries, prevent ejection from the vehicle and reduce the risk of fire.

At the Newsome Law Firm we have extensive experience with crashworthiness cases and have obtained successful results for our clients. Contact Us today.

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