The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary, P.A.
19 West Flagler Street, Suite 618
Miami, Florida 33130
(305) 416-9805
(305) 416-9807
Faulty Seat Belts Attorney
Sean M. Cleary – Miami Personal Injury Lawyer
Seat belts are some of the most important safety features protecting occupants during auto accidents. Due to their enormous significance, the design and assembly of seat belts is strictly regulated by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 209 and 210, Seat Belt Assemblies and Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages, respectively. These regulations create a responsibility for auto manufacturers to produce vehicles equipped with adequate seatbelts that provide effective protection at the time of accidents. Consequently, if manufacturers fail to meet this responsibility, they can be held liable for injuries and other damages suffered by the occupants of defective motor vehicles.
Sean M. Cleary is one of the experienced, well known personal injury lawyers in Miami specializing in representing victims of defective automotive products, including faulty seat belts. In fact, he is a highly skilled Miami defective seat belts attorney who pursues each case with the utmost dedication and zeal. Please read on to learn more about the responsibility of auto makers to ensure reasonable vehicle safety and steps you should take if you have become a victim of manufacturer negligence.
Seat Belts: Design & Function
Seat belts are designed to restrain vehicle occupants to their seats during auto accidents. Proper restraint is crucial as it prevents auto passengers from hitting their heads against the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield and other automobile parts. In addition, seat belts are often vital during rollovers causing roof crushas they keep the passengers away from the roof. Another major function of seat belts is to protect passengers from being ejected from the vehicle, which can cause fatal damages, such as spinal cord injury and open-head brain injury.
Seat Belts: Defects
Unfortunately, seat belts sometimes fail to function properly due to faulty design and/or mistakes in the manufacturing process. Some of the more common seatbelt defects include:
- Inertial Unlatching. This term describes a situation whereby the latch button depresses during the collision, releasing the passenger.
- False Latching. Sometimes, it appears that the seatbelt is working fine and the passenger is secured, yet the seat belt fails during the accident.
- Weakened Webbing. This term describes a situation whereby the seat belt fails to withstand the force of impact and becomes torn or damaged during the accident.
- Retractor Failure. If the retractor device fails, the seat belt does not lock in place and the passenger is free to move forward during the accident. Even a very small (a few inches) refractor failure can sometimes be the difference between life and death during an accident.
- Faulty Design. When the seat belt geometry is not calculated properly, the angle between the belt and the passenger might be too shallow. This defect is sometimes responsible for passengers moving excessively towards the roof during a rollover.
Defective Seat Belt: Contacting a Miami Personal injury Attorney
Seat belt design and function is regulated by the law. Therefore, in cases where seat belts fail manufacturers might be responsible for the injuries and other damages sustained by the victims. In order to prove the malfunctioning of seat belts, it is often important to preserve the damaged vehicle and other relevant evidence.
If you or your loved one has suffered injuries as a result of an auto accident and you suspect that defective seat belts might have contributed to the damages, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact the experienced Miami auto accident lawyer, Sean M. Cleary, today at (305) 416-9805 for your free evaluation and to initiate prompt legal action. Over the years, Mr. Cleary has successfully obtained significant compensation for clients in various motor vehicle accident-related cases, including wrongful death lawsuits.
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