What injuries can an airbag cause?
The most common types of injuries seen in relation to airbags include:
- sprained fingers and wrists or other injuries on the hands.
- eye injuries.
- abrasions and lacerations.
- contusions on various areas of the body such as the chest, arms, face, and legs.
- injuries to body organs, brain injury and head injury.
- internal bleeding.
How long does it take to heal from airbag injuries?
Follow up with your healthcare provider, or as advised. Most skin wounds heal within 10 days. But you make get an infection even with proper treatment.
How hard do airbags hit you?
Frontal air bags are generally designed to deploy in “moderate to severe” frontal or near-frontal crashes, which are defined as crashes that are equivalent to hitting a solid, fixed barrier at 8 to 14 mph or higher. (This would be equivalent to striking a parked car of similar size at about 16 to 28 mph or higher.)
Can airbags break bones?
The strike of an airbag or the force with which a face meets the dashboard or steering wheel frequently causes broken noses, jaws, cheekbones, and orbital bones (around the eyes). These bones are very susceptible to fracture during a collision.
How does it feel to get hit by an airbag?
When an airbag goes off, it can be painful. It can feel like being kicked in the face and chest by a very strong but fluffy bunny. But the force of hitting the airbag can cause (less serious) injuries from abrasions to broken bones. If your airbags deploy, your car may be totalled.
Are airbag injuries common?
Many body parts can be exposed to the airbag, leaving a variety of injuries possible during the process of deployment. While these are some of the most common injuries to occur due to airbags, others are possible.
How do you treat an airbag injury?
Airbag injury care:
- Keep wounds covered with a clean, dry bandage as directed. You may be told to apply antibacterial ointment to your wound to prevent infection. You may need stitches.
- Use ice packs as directed to treat swelling around your eyes.
- Use cool cloths to soothe red, irritated, or burned skin.
Can an airbag break your chest?
Today, there are only rare cases of chest injuries from an airbag. In these cases, the injuries suffered typically include rib fractures, sternum fractures, bruising, rupture of the aorta, pneumonia and a heart attack.
Will an airbag break your arm?
The force of the airbag can also cause abrasions to your face and arms. Airbags deploy so quickly that the impact can result in broken bones. Not only can it fracture your wrist and fingers, but also fracture your rib cage, skull, or facial bones.
Does getting hit with airbag hurt?
What does it feel like when an airbag deploys?
Any crash that causes your airbags to go off is likely to be painful, if not from broken glass, loud noises, a sudden tight hug from your seatbelt, then from an airbag blowing up in your face. It can feel like being kicked in the face and chest by a very strong but fluffy bunny.
Are airbag burns serious?
Although the wounds may be considered minor, burn injuries should not be an expected complication of airbag deployment. Patients who experience injuries secondary to airbag deployment are inconvenienced by burn management including the emergency department and clinic visits, as well as wound care.