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Properly designed seatbelts should restrain vehicle
passengers by stopping ejection and decreasing the passenger’s
movement within the vehicle during a crash. Seatbelt
defects can result in death and serious injuries during
collisions.
More than 100 million cars in America have seatbelts
with the release button on the front face of the buckle.
In some rollovers, frontal collisions and side impacts,
the release mechanism can be disengaged when the back
of the buckle hits part of the seat structure or of
the human body. Manufacturers are reluctant to admit
the existence of this defect. However, in Malone v.
General Motors, crash tests videos were introduced into
evidence which demonstrated seatbelt unlatching in internal
tests conducted by General Motors.
Over the last several years, there have been several
landmark cases against Japanese and American automobile
manufacturers pertaining to this defect. During impact,
the release of the seatbelt happens as a result of force
or energy being applied to the back of the buckle in
the form of the forward movement of the occupant into
the buckle. When the initial energy is transformed into
the spring of the buckle, it releases the tension on
the latch plate, allowing it to come open. When this
happens, the occupant is then unprotected, as if there
were no seatbelt at all. Relatively low forces during
a wreck can cause the button to depress, permitting
the latch plate to be free.
If you or a loved one were injured
in an accident and believe your seatbelt was defective
or became unlatched, contact our accident lawyers today
for a free consultation. Our attorneys fight for
victims of defective seatbelts and automobiles.
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