From what Atlanta car crash lawyers have seen, occupant ejection is one of the worst-case scenarios of a smash-up. When people imagine a car accident, they usually think of a minor fender-bender or rear-end crash that everyone can walk away from. Or, there are the worst case scenario thinkers that jump to the fiery wreck of a rollover collision. In neither of those situations do people imagine that they’re going to be thrown from a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed, probably on a busy street. We look at our vehicles and see a giant metal cage that should in theory always keep us within it.
What is really alarming is that 83% of vehicle occupants who are thrown or rejected from a vehicle died as a result of their injuries. Occupant ejection is a serious issue that vehicle manufacturers, safety authorities, and even insurance companies have consistently tried to curb.
Not Wearing a Seatbelt
Seat belts became mandatory in 1968, but people still aren’t wearing them all the time. Georgia requires people to wear seatbelts whenever they’re in a vehicle. But there’s a big gap when it comes to passengers in the back seat. Georgia residents are pretty familiar with the law, allowing backseat passengers to opt out of wearing a seatbelt.
In the event of a possible crash, wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of fatal injury to the driver and front-seat passenger by 45%. It also decreases the chances of a critical injury to a moderate injury by 50%. Essentially, if you want to make sure you stay in the vehicle in a crash, then you’d better be wearing your seatbelt.
Defective Door Latches
Defective door latches are a serious issue when it comes to auto accident ejections. Even when people are wearing a seatbelt, a defective door latch could open the door and create enough force to disable the belt. Typically, the occupant nearest to the door is the one ejected in the process.
Most Atlanta car crash lawyers know that defective door latches do you have a number of large-scale recalls. In 2005 there were over 300,000 models of that year’s Ford Focus recalled as a result of a defective door latch. Again, the 2011 to 2016 model experienced another huge recall for the Ford Focus because of defective door latches. issues with the Ford Focus door latches became most apparent during accidents, even small collisions could expose the defect.
Rollover Crashes and Compromised Roofs
Rollover crashes are the most commonly cited situation that comes with occupant ejection. The underlying issue here is that as part of the vehicle rollover of the roof and structure of the vehicle become compromised. Drivers and passengers are both more susceptible to ejection because either the roof or the structure of the car is no longer stable which can cause the windshield and other windows to break, malfunction, or fall in a way that allowed a passenger to exit the vehicle unintentionally.
The only way to ensure that you reduce the risk of a rollover crash and possible occupant ejection is to keep your speed at the speed limit and wear your seatbelt. Safe driving takes priority as the only preventive measure in these cases.
Unlike other crashes when it comes to rollovers and occupant ejections, there are many injuries that the victim’s can sustain that they wouldn’t experience in a normal crash. Most standard vehicle drivers are not at risk of road rash, which is common among motorcyclists and bicyclists. Additionally, most drivers of standard vehicles aren’t typically susceptible to blunt force trauma from impacting a fixed object which is a serious issue with occupant ejection.
Finding Access to Compensation with Atlanta Car Crash Lawyers
Ejection-related car accidents happen every day, and Georgia is one of the states with the biggest issue for people not wearing seatbelts. Even if you were wearing your seatbelt at the time of the crash, it doesn’t mean that ejection wasn’t a possibility. Vehicle ejection is a very real issue, and it’s something that many insurance companies just don’t know how to handle. You experienced damages and injuries not only because of the at-fault driver but because of the compromised state of your vehicle.
The things that matter when it comes to your insurance claim or lawsuit is that the crash wasn’t your fault, and your injuries were dressed as quickly as possible. Condensation is something that every victim deserves after a collision. There’s no reason that compensation shouldn’t be possible. Working with the Weinstein firm of Atlanta can connect you directly with experienced Atlanta car crash lawyers who understands what compensation you need and how to negotiate for it fairly.
