Door latch defects frequently cause injuries during car accidents.
These defects result in a type of personal injury lawsuit called "product liability," which means that the manufacturer of the car and perhaps the manufacturer of the door latch (if different from the car manufacturer) would be considered liable for the injuries incurred.
When a door latch on a vehicle is defective, the door frequently pops open during an accident impact.
This often causes passengers to be ejected from the vehicle, which is a common cause of death from a car accident.
Passengers and drivers are much more likely to survive a car crash if they can remain inside the vehicle.
If they are ejected, they are in jeopardy of being crushed by another vehicle on the street or at risk of sustaining severe injuries from striking the pavement or a pole or tree.
If the car then rolls over, the passenger who was ejected could also be crushed by that car.
In fact, statistics show that accident fatalities are 23 times more likely when someone is thrown from a vehicle.
As you can see, door latch defects are very serious and can be devastating.
If a passenger is not killed, the resulting injuries can include brain damage and/or spinal cord damage that result in partial or full paralysis.
Injuries of this nature may require a lifetime of medical care.
One of the most common defects involves the "remote rod," which connects the door handle and the door latch.
When this remote rod breaks, bends, or twists, the door can open when impacted by another vehicle or a passenger's body as it slams against the inside of the door.
More advanced door latch mechanisms prevent this from happening, sometimes through providing more than one device to hold the door shut during a collision.
Additionally, when a door pops open during an accident, it can put the car's cabin at greater risk of collapse.
While the majority of door latch failures involve the door swinging open in an accident, the opposite can also occur with the latch failing to open, potentially trapping passengers in a burning car.
Proving Door Latch Defects Despite the destructive potential of door latch defects, it can sometimes be difficult to prove that a latch was faulty and caused injury.
If proof is difficult, the lawsuit might not settle outside of court but may proceed to trial.
In order to prove that a defective latch was the cause of an accident, everything must be carefully documented.
This is often up to the injured parties before the hiring of an attorney.
For example, photographs need to be taken immediately, as well as notes to document the time, date, and details of the accident.
People are also advised to go to a doctor even for minor injuries so that medical care is well-documented.
The doctor can be called as a witness in the case, and a neighbor, for example, can be called as a witness to verify that the car has not been driven after the accident involving the door latch.
Even if injuries aren't serious, a defective latch on a vehicle is dangerous and needs to be corrected and reported.
Not only might it cause worse injuries in the future if the individual continues to drive the car, but such a defect could lead to deaths of other car owners.
The manufacturer needs to be made aware of the problem and held responsible for any damages.
When such issues go unreported, more lives can be lost.
Vehicle doors are required to stay closed during an accident by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 206 set by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NGTSA).
Many attorneys believe, however, that the federal standards are the absolute minimum required for safety and that manufacturers need to do more to ensure that doors do not fail during accidents.
These defects result in a type of personal injury lawsuit called "product liability," which means that the manufacturer of the car and perhaps the manufacturer of the door latch (if different from the car manufacturer) would be considered liable for the injuries incurred.
When a door latch on a vehicle is defective, the door frequently pops open during an accident impact.
This often causes passengers to be ejected from the vehicle, which is a common cause of death from a car accident.
Passengers and drivers are much more likely to survive a car crash if they can remain inside the vehicle.
If they are ejected, they are in jeopardy of being crushed by another vehicle on the street or at risk of sustaining severe injuries from striking the pavement or a pole or tree.
If the car then rolls over, the passenger who was ejected could also be crushed by that car.
In fact, statistics show that accident fatalities are 23 times more likely when someone is thrown from a vehicle.
As you can see, door latch defects are very serious and can be devastating.
If a passenger is not killed, the resulting injuries can include brain damage and/or spinal cord damage that result in partial or full paralysis.
Injuries of this nature may require a lifetime of medical care.
One of the most common defects involves the "remote rod," which connects the door handle and the door latch.
When this remote rod breaks, bends, or twists, the door can open when impacted by another vehicle or a passenger's body as it slams against the inside of the door.
More advanced door latch mechanisms prevent this from happening, sometimes through providing more than one device to hold the door shut during a collision.
Additionally, when a door pops open during an accident, it can put the car's cabin at greater risk of collapse.
While the majority of door latch failures involve the door swinging open in an accident, the opposite can also occur with the latch failing to open, potentially trapping passengers in a burning car.
Proving Door Latch Defects Despite the destructive potential of door latch defects, it can sometimes be difficult to prove that a latch was faulty and caused injury.
If proof is difficult, the lawsuit might not settle outside of court but may proceed to trial.
In order to prove that a defective latch was the cause of an accident, everything must be carefully documented.
This is often up to the injured parties before the hiring of an attorney.
For example, photographs need to be taken immediately, as well as notes to document the time, date, and details of the accident.
People are also advised to go to a doctor even for minor injuries so that medical care is well-documented.
The doctor can be called as a witness in the case, and a neighbor, for example, can be called as a witness to verify that the car has not been driven after the accident involving the door latch.
Even if injuries aren't serious, a defective latch on a vehicle is dangerous and needs to be corrected and reported.
Not only might it cause worse injuries in the future if the individual continues to drive the car, but such a defect could lead to deaths of other car owners.
The manufacturer needs to be made aware of the problem and held responsible for any damages.
When such issues go unreported, more lives can be lost.
Vehicle doors are required to stay closed during an accident by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 206 set by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NGTSA).
Many attorneys believe, however, that the federal standards are the absolute minimum required for safety and that manufacturers need to do more to ensure that doors do not fail during accidents.