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How did an infant get injured in an air bag crash?

How did an infant get injured in an air bag crash?

The infant sustained multiple skull fractures and crushing injuries to the brain as a result of the impact of the air-bag compartment cover flap with the back of the child safety seat at the location of the child’s head. At the time of collision, the vehicle was traveling at approximately 23 miles per hour.

Who is at risk when an air bag deploys?

Any child who rides unrestrained or incorrectly restrained in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag is at risk for serious injury or death if the air bag deploys. Precrash braking may propel an unrestrained child against the dashboard in immediate proximity to the point of air-bag deployment.

Can a child be placed in the front seat with an air bag?

The inflating air bag then can propel the child against structures inside the vehicle, causing serious injury or death. Rear-facing child restraints also pose a hazard in vehicles with a passenger-side air bag and must never be placed in the front seat (4).

Can a child be killed by an air bag?

In a crash, a rear-facing child restraint placed in the front seat with its back close to the vehicle’s instrument panel could be struck by the rapidly inflating air bag, and the child in the restraint could be seriously injured or killed.

The infant sustained multiple skull fractures and crushing injuries to the brain as a result of the impact of the air-bag compartment cover flap with the back of the child safety seat at the location of the child’s head. At the time of collision, the vehicle was traveling at approximately 23 miles per hour.

Any child who rides unrestrained or incorrectly restrained in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag is at risk for serious injury or death if the air bag deploys. Precrash braking may propel an unrestrained child against the dashboard in immediate proximity to the point of air-bag deployment.

The inflating air bag then can propel the child against structures inside the vehicle, causing serious injury or death. Rear-facing child restraints also pose a hazard in vehicles with a passenger-side air bag and must never be placed in the front seat (4).

In a crash, a rear-facing child restraint placed in the front seat with its back close to the vehicle’s instrument panel could be struck by the rapidly inflating air bag, and the child in the restraint could be seriously injured or killed.

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Ruth Doyle