How Can This Be An Airbag Death?

[rmoore]

There is a hospital-based lecturer who travels around presenting a seminar on airbags and windshields, of all things. Among the wild and totally unfounded claims that he makes, he states that a side impact airbag deployment at a crash scene caused a death in Arizona. After years of hearing this B--- S--- and begging to try to get more details from this self-proclaimed 'detective', further information has been released.

What I'm now being asked to believe is that the woman was involved in an accident with minor injuries. Her husband was trying to lift her out of the vehicle when he accidently deployed the side airbag, hitting him in the arm. This caused him to drop her on her head, where she later died at the hospital. The story gets better and better all the time! How lifting anyone or anything would ever deploy a side airbag is beyond me but NOT beyond the imagination of this presenter.

This story is just one more dreamed up airbag falsehood being promoted by this guy. Don't waste your time. You'd be better informed watching Jerry Springer. In fact, this supplemental restraint 'detective' IS the fire service's version of Jerry Springer! Beware.

[MD2020]

I would like to agree with this being dreamed up. In all of my knowledge of airbags, I do not see how a man lifting someone out of a vehicle can accidently set off a air bag. There are delays in air bags going off, which should be reported to the manufacturer. But they do happen, although I have not experienced one. I have heard of the possibility, they are supposed to be pretty rare. If this is true I would like to have more information with written proof of this happening. If anyone has proof of this please post it for everyone to see. I think this guy is dreaming this up to make a "name" for hisself.

[nutty17]

This caused him to drop her on her head, where she later died at the hospital.

Lift alot of people upside side do we...?

shane

[Bones42]

Wasn't it Volvo that had an actuator on the side of the seat bottom that would activate the side impact airbag. It was a "button" that when the door pushed into it, would activate the bag in the seat back. In fact, Volvo had a cover that would be placed over the button when mechanics would work on the car to help prevent activation. Anyone know how much pressure was needed on this button? Could a knee (or backboard) hitting this button set off the airbag?

[jducharme]

I know of whom you speak Ron. I've tried to verify these deployments but have not had any luck. Unfortunatly he's on the tv here all the time giving him instant "expert" status. Most of the instructors in this area know of his road show and don't really approve of it. Think about if though, if you are a rank and file firefighter you expect a good class and you shouldn't have to go verify an "experts" stories and facts, at least not at $1500 for a 4 hour class.