Defective Door Latches Claims Lawyers
A defective door latch is dangerous in any vehicle with or without an accident, because occupants can be ejected during an accident, or even under normal driving conditions, should the door fly open. The danger is even higher in an SUV rollover accident. The rolling vehicle may land on top of you. You may only be partially ejected and continue to roll with the vehicle, parts of your body crushed or severed with every impact.
When a door latch fails during an accident you can be ejected or partially ejected from the vehicle, leading to severe injuries or death, even in accident that would have other wise caused only minor injuries or no injuries at all:
· If you are not wearing your seat belt or if the seat belt unlatches, you can be fully ejected, striking objects outside of the vehicle or being hit by traffic.
· If you are wearing your seat belt and it stays in place, you can be partially ejected causing amputation, decapitation, and other serious injuries.
· Even if you are not ejected, an open door fails to protect you from the force of other vehicles and objects during a crash.
An accident does not have to occur for door latch failure to cause serious injuries or death. A faulty door latch can allow the door to fly open during normal driving, while turning, braking, or changing lanes, and can send occupants flying out of the vehicle into traffic or down an embankment
How door latches fail
In most failures, the torsion spring which holds the latch in the closed position is too weak. The spring controls the amount of force needed to operate the door handle. If it is too weak, a small amount of force can cause it to release the handle.
Manufacturers are aware of the problem
Several auto manufacturers have issued recalls over the years, due to defective door latches. In many cases the manufacturer knew about the defect, but felt it would be more cost effective to face lawsuits for individual injuries than to replace the defective latches. A recent example included the Ford Expedition, Focus, F-150, and F-250 models sold from 1997 to 2002. Ford was aware of the problem with the latches, and began to process of correcting the problem, but stopped before repairs began, because it found that it would be cheaper to pay for lawsuits, when victims were injured or killed, than to replace all of the door latches.
The experienced rollover accident attorneys participating in the SUV Rollover Lawyers Network are dedicated to helping people who have been injured and whose loved ones have been killed in SUV rollover accidents. These experienced rollover attorneys know what it takes to establish the liability of the manufacturer and will fight to get you the compensation you deserve for your injury or loss.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective door latch in an SUV rollover accident, please e-mail us to contact an experienced SUV rollover lawyer.
