Personal Injury Law

Did Defective Seatbelt Cause Ejection from Car during Fatal Crash?

Man Ejected from Car during Crash Killed on Staten Island Expressway

A 52-year-old man reportedly died of injuries he suffered during an auto accident on November 25, 2008 on the Staten Island Expressway. According to this news report, the victim, who has not yet been identified, was taken to an area hospital after the car he was a passenger in careened into a guardrail on the Staten Island Expressway near its merge with the West Shore Expressway. The driver was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed. The victim was ejected from the vehicle over the guardrail and fell down to the ground. It is not clear yet how and why he was ejected.

It would be very interesting to see how and why this man was thrown out of the vehicle. The main question here would be: Was the victim wearing his seatbelt? And if he was, did it fail at the time of the accident? If the victim was thrown out of the vehicle as a result of a defective seatbelt, which failed at the time of the accident, then his family members can file a product liability lawsuit against the auto manufacturer.

Seatbelts could be defective because of a manufacturing defect or a design defect. An experienced New York auto product defect attorney will be able to determine using experts how and why this accident occurred and who should be held responsible for it. Victims? families may be entitled to significant compensation for their personal loss, loss of future wages (especially if the deceased victim was the family?s primary breadwinner) and other related expenses.

Full post as published by New York Injury Talk Blog on November 19, 2008 (boomark / email).