• 13
  • November
    2010

In a recent defective product lawsuit, a jury awarded the family of a five-year-old girl several million dollars for future care due to a severe brain injury suffered during a car accident when the girl was only two. While the lawsuit took place in Virginia, the issue it addressed is one that has surfaced across the country.

Take a step back to 1968. When it comes to cars, it was a different world. Among many other things, the safety standards used to measure those vehicles are a far cry from many of the standards used today - except when it comes to the stability of the seating systems installed in automobiles.

Those standards haven't been updated in 42 years and, as the aforementioned lawsuit pointed out, they seem woefully out of date.

One witness for the prosecution, an engineer, showed the results of a trial in which both a folding lawn chair and a chair made out of cardboard passed the seating standards test. 

With weak seat supports, in the event of a car accident, the front seat is liable to shoot backwards. If a small child is in the backseat, either seated on the bench or in a child safety seat, the front seat's headrest or the driver's head can strike his or her head with an amazing amount of force.

The outcome of such an incident, tragically, speaks for itself. Severe brain and head injuries, a lifetime of dependence and the family is changed forever. Still, as Johnson Controls argues, the seat did technically meet federal safety standards.

One hopes that the NHTSA will consider changing them.

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