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Air Bag Defect

Our firm has expertise in cases involving air bag defects. These cases include injuries caused by an air bag's failure to deploy or its late deployment as well as injuries from overpowered air bag deployments.

In a failure to deploy case, an air bag fails to deploy in a frontal impact of sufficient severity for an air bag deployment. Injuries to the occupant result from contact with the steering wheel or windshield that would have been prevented by a successfully deployed air bag.

In a late deployment case, the air bag deploys too late. This late deployment does not protect the occupant from contact with the steering wheel or windshield. Furthermore, the occupant receives additional injuries because the accident forces have positioned the occupant too close to the air bag at the time of its deployment. A bent steering wheel, a deformed air bag module cover, or occupant contact marks on the steering wheel are clues demonstrating a late deployment.

Our firm has experience with downloading the "black box" contained in the vehicle. Similar to the black box in airplanes, many modern automobiles contain data that will provide important information about the severity of the wreck and whether there was a problem with the air bag's deployment. A black box download is often necessary in cases involving a failure to deploy or late deployment.

Our firm has also successfully resolved cases involving injuries caused by overpowered air bags. Early generations of air bags were much too forceful in their deployments. Some of these overpowered air bags were responsible for causing catastrophic or fatal injuries in minor impacts. Numerous documents uncovered during our work in prior cases revealed that the automakers were aware that overpowered air bags were causing serious injuries and deaths. These documents also revealed that safer air bag designs were available but not implemented in these vehicles.

If you or family members have suffered injuries as the result of an air bag defect, you need an experienced automobile defect lawyer to maximize your recovery. Contact us today.
Success Stories

$17,716,401 Verdict / Auto Product Liability / Ford Explorer Rear Restraint System / Lap Only Seat Belt

12/18/2009 Wheeler v. Ford Motor Company, et al., State Court, Clayton County, Georgia.

Plaintiffs Lynn and Douglas Wheeler won their design defect and failure to warn claims against Ford Motor Company relating to the 2002 Ford Explorer. On Christmas morning 2005, 58 year old Lynn Wheeler was on her way to church with her family. Lynn Wheeler was seated in the rear center seat of her son’s 2002 Ford Explorer, wearing the lap-only seat belt Ford installed for that seating position. Two of Lynn Wheeler’s grandchildren were in child seats on either side of her. As they entered a curve on Noah’s Ark Road, a 2-door Eagle Talon coupe driven by John C. Stanley crossed the centerline and struck the Explorer head-on.

$5,470,000 Verdict/Wrongful Death

10/23/09 Pitts v. A&G Trucking. Inc., et al., State Court of DeKalb County, Georgia.

Plaintiffs, four minor children, recovered for the death of their father, who was killed by a dump truck driver while the decedent was working as a "spotter" or "flag man" on the runway expansion at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. According to eye-witnesses, the driver of the dump truck was talking on her cell phone or CB radio and was given a stop signal by the deceased.

$45,000,000 Settlement | Credit Insurance/Consumer Rights Class Action

10/31/07 Toole v. J.M.I.C. Life Insurance Company, Superior Court of Muscogee County, Georgia

Plaintiff Toole represented a class of people who prepaid J.M.I.C. Life Insurance Company premiums for credit life and disability insurance policies when they purchased vehicles. J.M.I.C. Life Insurance Company contractually promised to refund any unearned premium if class members paid off the insured loans before the five-year term had expired, but failed to do so when they paid off the insured loans early.

$105,500,000 Verdict | Defective Automobile

11/23/04 Flax v. Daimler Chrysler Corporation and Louis A. Stockell, Jr., Circuit Court for Davidson County, Tennessee

More Verdicts

Columbus
105 13th Street
P.O. Box 2766
Columbus, GA 31902
FAX 706.323.2962
706.322.1990
1.800.233.4086

Atlanta
2719 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30324
FAX 404.321.1713
404.321.1700
1.800.242.2962


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With offices in Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia, the attorneys at Butler, Wooten & Fryhofer, LLP represent the seriously injured throughout Georgia, including the cities of Atlanta, Columbus, Marietta, Smyrna, Roswell, Gainesville, Peachtree City, Forest Park, Riverdale, Lagrange, Macon, and Savannah. Our lawyers have handled accident and defective product claims nationwide, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.