Jacksonville Occupant Ejection Attorneys

Injuries sustained from being ejected from a vehicle are generally the most serious and life-threatening injuries that can result from a defective vehicle. Most occupant ejections occur when the vehicle experiences a rollover and the occupant is not strapped in.

Farah & Farah has handled numerous cases involving occupant ejection and have seen the serious, life-threatening injuries our clients have sustained. Occupant ejection can occur for a variety of reasons – vehicular rollover is the number one cause for ejection. Additionally, seat belt failure; door lock failure; airbag deployment failure can also be a contributing cause. Our experienced Florida product liability attorneys know what evidence to look for in these types of cases and we know how to pinpoint the cause or causes for someone to be ejected from a vehicle during an automobile crash.

In order to decrease the number of occupant ejections, U.S. Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood announced on January 13, 2011, a final rule aimed at decreasing occupant ejections in passenger vehicles.

The new U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) standard was developed to minimize the number of people partially or completely ejected through side windows during rollover crashes. The rule will begin phasing in during 2013.

“Safety is our highest priority,” said LaHood. “This new standard will help save lives and “reduce injuries by requiring vehicles to have a safety system that keeps occupants in the vehicle in a rollover crash.”

Under the new rule, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), vehicle manufacturers must develop a safety measure for passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds that prevents the equivalent of an unbelted adult from moving more than four inches past the side window opening in the event of a crash. Vehicles will be required to provide this protection by model year 2018.

The new standard should prevent an average of 373 fatalities and 476 serious injuries every year.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a vehicular accident where one or more occupants were ejected from the vehicle, call our Jacksonville auto product liability attorneys today for a free consultation. Farah & Farah’s team is ready to help you get the compensation you deserve.