Airbag Injuries In Spartanburg, SC
Legally Reviewed by Sam Bass: July 11, 2026
Airbags are designed to save lives in car accidents, yet they can sometimes cause serious injuries when they malfunction or deploy improperly. Airbag injuries in Spartanburg result from defective inflators that rupture, excessively forceful deployment, failure to deploy when needed, or metal shrapnel ejected from faulty units. Victims of airbag injuries face physical trauma, disfigurement, burns, broken bones, and emotional distress. If you have suffered airbag injuries anywhere in Spartanburg County, you may have legal recourse against the vehicle manufacturer, airbag manufacturer, or the at-fault driver whose negligence caused the crash.
If you or a family member suffered airbag injuries in Spartanburg following a car accident, Stewart Law Offices stands ready to help you recover. Our firm prioritizes a compassionate approach combined with thorough legal work when representing injury victims. We are guided by a team that includes Sam Bass, an attorney with an active South Carolina Bar license who brings more than 16 years of hands-on personal injury advocacy to the clients we serve.
Sam works in close partnership with our dedicated legal team to conduct exhaustive investigations into each case, to understand exactly what happened, and to hold responsible parties accountable for defects that should never have reached consumers. When you contact Stewart Law Offices about airbag injuries in Spartanburg, SC, you are getting the full attention of a legal team committed to your recovery.
How Airbag Injuries Occur in Spartanburg
Airbags deploy at speeds reaching up to 200 miles per hour to cushion vehicle occupants during collisions. This rapid inflation, while life-saving in properly functioning systems, can cause severe injuries when the airbag malfunctions. Common ways airbag injuries in Spartanburg happen include deploying with excessive force that breaks facial bones, ribs, and arms, deploying at the wrong angle or time causing impact injuries, failing to deploy when a crash occurs leaving occupants unprotected, and rupturing during deployment, ejecting metal shrapnel at occupants.
Defective inflators with cracked welds allow moisture inside, causing chemical propellant to degrade and explode violently. Mis-calibrated crash sensors trigger deployment without impact or fail to trigger when needed. Faulty diagnostic units clear warning lights even when the airbag system is disabled. These defects occur in vehicles traveling on Spartanburg roads, including I-85, posing a significant risk of airbag injuries in our community.
Common Airbag Injuries in Spartanburg, SC
Facial injuries from airbag deployment include severe bruises, lacerations, fractured cheekbones, broken noses, jaw fractures, and disfiguring scars. The forceful impact can cause permanent cosmetic damage requiring extensive reconstructive surgery. Airbag burns result from contact with hot chemical materials used in the inflation mechanism, causing painful thermal and chemical burns to the face, neck, and hands.
Eye injuries result from the sudden impact of deployment, causing corneal abrasion, retinal damage, and vision loss. Chest injuries occur when the airbag strikes with tremendous force, causing broken ribs, sternum fractures, and internal injuries. Neck and spinal injuries result from the sudden jolt and impact, similar to whiplash in rear-end collisions. Arm and hand injuries occur from the forceful deployment or from metal shrapnel striking occupants.
Deaths and catastrophic injuries have resulted from defective airbags that deploy with explosive force or fail to deploy entirely during serious accidents.
Product Defects That Create Liability in Airbag Injury Cases in South Carolina
South Carolina law recognizes three primary types of defects that can create legal liability for airbag-related injuries:
- Manufacturing Defects: These occur when an error during the production process results in a specific airbag unit that is unreasonably dangerous, even though the overall design is safe. A single defective inflator or a faulty wire in a single airbag module is a classic example.
- Design Defects: These occur when the airbag’s fundamental design is inherently dangerous, even when manufactured perfectly in accordance with specifications. A design that causes the airbag to deploy with excessive force or fails to protect occupants in foreseeable crash scenarios can expose the manufacturer to liability.
- Failure to Warn (or Inadequate Warnings): Manufacturers can be held liable if they fail to provide adequate instructions or warnings about known risks associated with the airbag system, such as dangers to small-statured occupants, children in rear seats, or risks from aftermarket modifications.
South Carolina follows a strict product liability framework. Under S.C. Code § 15-73-10, a manufacturer or seller can be held responsible if the airbag was in a defective condition that made it unreasonably dangerous to the user and that defect was the proximate cause of the injury.
Compensation Available for Airbag-Related Injuries in Spartanburg, South Carolina
Victims of airbag injuries in Spartanburg may pursue compensation through multiple legal avenues under South Carolina law.
- Personal Injury Claims: You can file a claim against the at-fault driver if another driver’s negligence caused the collision that led to the airbag deployment.
- Product Liability Claims: You can pursue a claim against the vehicle manufacturer, airbag manufacturer, or component supplier if the airbag system was defective (for example, if it deployed with excessive force, failed to deploy when needed, or had a design or manufacturing defect).
In many cases, both claims can be pursued simultaneously when a defective airbag exacerbated injuries during a crash caused by another driver’s negligence. South Carolina law allows injured victims to seek various forms of compensation, including:
- Past and future medical expenses (emergency care, surgeries, rehabilitation, medications, and ongoing treatment)
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Permanent disability compensation
- Pain and suffering (physical pain and emotional distress)
- Scarring and disfigurement damages
- Property damage to the vehicle
- Punitive damages in cases involving gross negligence, reckless conduct, or intentional misconduct by a manufacturer or driver
An experienced Spartanburg airbag injury lawyer can evaluate your case, identify the proper claims, and fight to secure the full compensation you deserve.
Preserving Evidence in Spartanburg Airbag Injury Cases
Do not allow your vehicle to be repaired or scrapped before an airbag injury attorney inspects it. The vehicle and airbag system contains critical evidence about how the airbag failed and why. Collect photographs of the steering wheel, airbag cover, shrapnel, broken glass, and visible injuries.
Obtain the police report, witness statements, and medical records documenting your injuries. Keep records of all treatment, expenses, and how your injuries affect your daily life.
Visit Our Car Accident Lawyers in Spartanburg, SC
When To Consult A Lawyer About Airbag Injuries In Spartanburg, SC
You should consult a lawyer about airbag injuries in Spartanburg, SC, as soon as you experience facial, eye, chest, arm, or spinal pain after a crash, especially if you suspect the airbag may be defective or improperly deployed. Our Spartanburg car accident lawyer can help you gather evidence, report defects, coordinate medical treatment, and pursue both personal injury and workers’ compensation claims so you are not pressured into quick settlements that do not cover long‑term care or lost wages.
FAQs About Airbag Injuries in Spartanburg, SC
Yes, you can recover compensation for airbag injuries in Spartanburg, South Carolina, even if you were partly at fault for the crash that triggered the airbag deployment, because a defective airbag is a product liability issue separate and distinct from whether you or the other driver caused the collision. South Carolina law allows you to pursue a product liability claim against the airbag manufacturer even when you bear some responsibility for the crash that caused the deployment, as long as your comparative negligence does not exceed 50 percent under South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence rule.
If you suffered significant airbag injuries in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from a relatively minor crash that should have produced minimal harm in a properly functioning vehicle, that disparity between the crash severity and the injury severity is precisely what demonstrates an airbag defect. A defective airbag that deploys with excessive force, ruptures, or releases toxic chemicals in a low-impact collision establishes that the system failed to function as designed and can support a strong product liability claim against the manufacturer.
Yes, you can pursue both a product liability claim against the airbag manufacturer and an insurance claim through your own auto insurance policy or the other driver’s liability insurance if a third party caused the crash. These are separate legal mechanisms, and recovering under one does not prevent you from recovering under the other, though you may be entitled to credit for any duplicate damages already paid through insurance settlements.
If the airbag that caused your injuries was a replacement part installed at a repair shop rather than an original equipment part, investigating the source and chain of custody for that component becomes critical because multiple parties may bear liability, including the repair shop, the supplier or importer of the part, and potentially the authorized manufacturer if the repair shop was using counterfeit or substandard components. An experienced attorney can trace the part back to its source and identify all parties that should be held responsible.
The most important evidence to preserve after airbag injuries in Spartanburg, South Carolina, includes the physical airbag module, crash sensors, and the diagnostic unit from your vehicle, as these components contain technical evidence of whether the system functioned correctly. Photographs of the deployed airbag, any visible defects, chemical residue, and burn marks are also critical. Medical records documenting every symptom and treatment are essential, along with the police report, witness statements, and, if available, the vehicle’s black box data.