Auto Accidents and Crashworthiness Cases

Presented by Jason J. Guari, Esq.

Hello, I'm Attorney Jason Guari, and I’d like to share with you some important information about motor vehicle crashes.

Many times, a crash can have consequences that go well beyond the crash itself.

We’ve all heard the saying, “For every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction.” In the case of an auto crash, there can be several reactions to one action, when a driver or passenger sustains an injury that is enhanced by a product defect.

The first action is the crash itself – that’s the vehicle impacting another vehicle or another object. This can then cause the driver or the occupant’s body to strike the interior of the vehicle or can cause someone to be ejected from the vehicle. Unfortunately, this can happen when a vehicle doesn’t perform the way it was designed to do in a foreseeable crash.  At that point, an ordinary accident can become much more serious.

“Enhanced Injuries” from secondary collisions, within the vehicle or from being ejected, are often caused by vehicle manufacturing or design defects.

These types of cases are “Crashworthiness Cases.” All too often, auto makers and component manufacturers are aware of their unsafe products, but they consider it just too expensive to recall or fix the defects. It simply becomes a matter of the cost of repairs over safety.  This puts profits before people, and innocent drivers and passengers become victims.

Common factors that render a vehicle “uncrashworthy” include:

• Defective tires that cause blow-outs or detreading;
• Safety belts that unlatch during a rollover;
• Seat backs that fail upon impact or from luggage or items improperly packed or stored within the vehicle;
• Door latches that unintentionally open during an accident sequence;
• Windows that are not glazed that cause occupants to be ejected;
• Air bags that aggressively deploy that are untethered;
• A vehicle that’s very design and center of gravity cause a handling and stability problem to cause a rollover.

If you are hurt in a crash what should you do?

• Get medical help immediately.
• If you are able to, record all the details of the crash by getting the other driver’s name and by taking pictures of the scene and your vehicle.
• “Crashworthiness” cases are usually only viable if you keep the product or vehicle. Without the product, there is no crashworthiness case.

Next, call a law firm that experienced in handling crashworthiness and defective product cases. Even if it looks like a routine accident, it is often difficult to recognize a defective product case.  
At Murray & Guari Trial Attorneys, we have more than 25 years of experience in auto accident, motor vehicle, and crashworthiness cases. We have the knowledge and training to see what others may miss.

If you need legal advice regarding a car accident or potential crashworthiness case, please call me at (561) 366-9099 or email me at jguari@murrayguari.com. We would be happy to answer your questions free of charge.