The public doesn’t know a lot about fatal failures involving airbags largely because only a handful of the many complaints about nondeployments ever wind up in court.
Three lawsuits over airbag nondeployments reveal what can go wrong with the potentially lifesaving systems.
A bureaucratic back-and-forth dragged on for months after the March 2005 death of Brooke Katz, pulled from the wreckage of a new Dodge Caravan.
From all points on the map, they share one thing in common: All are victims of fatal car wrecks in which front airbags did not deploy.
President Lyndon Johnson is best remembered for the Vietnam War and the War on Poverty, but he also started a “war” for auto safety that eventually put airbags in America’s cars.
The Kansas City Star analyzed about 1.9 million computer records of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal agency responsible for motorists’ safety.
Mike Casey, 55, is a projects reporter and an 11-year veteran of The Star. His recent stories have included investigations of the insurance industry, nursing homes, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Contact him at 816-234-4305 or mcasey@kcstar.com.
