California Seatbelt Injuries

Seatbelts are undeniably important, saving tens of thousands of lives every year in traffic accidents across the nation. However, seat belts aren’t without risks - especially for young children, the elderly, and medically fragile adults involved in California car accidents. While the risk of injury increases when a seatbelt isn’t used properly, even optimal seatbelt usage can cause passengers to get hurt.

How Can Seatbelts Cause Injuries?

Seatbelts are designed to lay across your chest and over your lap. When you’re involved in an accident, the force of impact triggers the seatbelt to tighten, lock, and restrain passengers against the seats of the vehicle.

As a result, occupants are protected from being ejected, thrown across the vehicle, and from striking the steering wheel, instrument panel, dashboard, windshield, and other parts of the car in a wreck.

However, in order to keep you in place, belts must tighten quickly and with significant force. When this force is applied to your body it can cause a wide range of physical injuries - both external and internal. 

Seatbelts can also cause injuries when they don’t work properly. In fact, millions of people suffer injuries annually because of seatbelt malfunctions - including anchor failure, false latching, and retractor failure.

What Are the Most Common Seat Belt Injuries?

Whether seatbelts operate as intended or are defective, they can cause a variety of physical injuries, including: 

• Cuts and lacerations, particularly to the shoulders, chest, and neck
• Bruising and contusions
• Chest injuries
• Broken ribs
• Shoulder injuries
• Abdominal injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Concussion injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Internal bleeding 

Seatbelts can also be fatal. Deaths typically occur when the seatbelt compresses the neck, makes deep cuts in the neck and chest, or inflicts severe blunt force to the chest resulting in pulmonary or cardiac trauma.

Can I Get Compensation For Seatbelt Injuries After a Car Accident in California?

Yes, you can get compensation for any injuries you suffer in a Sacramento, California car accident, including those inflicted by a seatbelt, as long as you’re not entirely at fault for the collision. 

If someone else caused the wreck, that’s the reason the seatbelt caused injuries. In turn, that person bears responsibility for resulting medical bills, income lost during your recovery, disability, and hard-to-value losses like pain and suffering. 

Similarly, if you got hurt because a seatbelt was defective, you may have the opportunity to recover compensation from the manufacturer.

Don’t stress about how to get compensation for your seatbelt injuries. Focus on recovering from your painful trauma and leave the rest to Singleton Schreiber.

Our San Diego, California car accident lawyers are top-rated litigators who’ve helped clients win billions in monetary awards from insurance companies, car manufacturers, governments, and other tough defendants. Call one of our California law offices - located in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Rosa - to discover how we might be able to help you get compensation for your seatbelt injuries after a crash, too. Your first case evaluation with our top-rated team is free.