A seat back failure can result in very serious injury or death and is a dangerous defect that occurs in many vehicles each year. In fact some estimates indicate that thousands of deaths could be prevented annually if all seat backs were properly designed and made with high quality materials. One of the major contributing factors to seat back failure is that auto makers are not held to a specific standard regarding the strength of the seats; therefore many of them use cheaper and weaker materials in order to cut down on expenses in this competitive market. Safety should NEVER be a corner that is cut by auto makers.  If you or a loved one has been injured due to the failure of a seat back, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries and losses. Contact an Atlanta product liability layer today for a free case evaluation and find out more about your legal options as a victim.

Seat back failure is most common during a rear-end collision. When the vehicle is struck from the rear, the weight and mass of the occupant’s body traveling forward then backwards can be enough for the seat to fail. This is particularly dangerous and can cause damage to the vertebrae and spinal cord as well as soft tissue injuries such as severe whiplash. Heavier passengers have even experienced seat back failure while the car is accelerating or even stationary. Seat backs are rarely ever detached from the frame of the seat or from the floor of the vehicle but the actual seat back can either break midway or the seat back can become deformed and therefore not provide the support to the back. Another common scenario is when the headrest becomes disfigured or breaks completely, which can put enormous strain and stress on the head and neck of the occupant. If you were injured because of a seat back failure, contact an Atlanta product liability lawyer to see if you qualify for financial compensation. The call is free and you could be entitled to a large cash settlement.

Even if a seat collapse does not directly injure the occupant of the seat, it can still create a dangerous situation. If this happens to the driver’s seat, they may easily lose control of the vehicle. Also if there is a passenger sitting directly behind them they may be seriously injured by the seat collapsing on them. Seatbelts are designed to work when the passengers are sitting upright; during a seat collapse the occupant may be ejected from the vehicle even when wearing a seatbelt. Contact an Atlanta product liability lawyer for a free case evaluation.