Once someone is ejected from an automobile during a crash, there is an 80 percent chance that they will be killed, according to a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The same study says that the key to avoiding an ejection in a car accident is to use a seatbelt as only 1 percent of ejected occupants were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision.
Four Teens Ejected During Crash in NE Philly
Police report that four teens were rushed to the hospital with two in critical condition when their car rolled over. The accident happened on Monday, June 1, 2020, around 10:30 pm near Grant and Bustleton avenues.
Police are not sure how the accident happened and whether the occupants were wearing their seatbelts. No arrests have been made, and the accident is still under investigation.
Ejections Especially Deadly
Once fully ejected, the victim has only a 20 percent chance of survival and has an 80 percent chance of being killed. The risk of serious injury for those who survive is also significant. The reason for this is the severity of the number of impacts on the body of the person ejected.
The force of the impact and subsequent rollover of the vehicle (70 percent of ejections are during rollovers) creates a tremendous risk to the victim. The impact inside the vehicle, then leaving the vehicle and once again when the victim lands, creates opportunities for serious injuries to the victim should he or she survive.
Ejection Injuries
For those who do survive, the injuries are almost always serious and the vast majority end up in critical or serious condition. As a car accident law firm in Northeast Philadelphia, we’ve seen the damage an ejection can do, and we’ve helped many victims recover financially by holding the at-fault driver responsible for the injuries and financial losses incurred by the victim.
No Seatbelt
One of the issues that come up in an ejection crash is the possibility that by not wearing a seatbelt, the ejected victim will be unable to recover for their injuries. While the insurance agent can sound very convincing telling this tale to the victim, it is not founded on the law.
It’s true that by not wearing a seatbelt, there is a chance that the amount of compensation can be reduced in some cases. However, the law requires the at-fault party to pay for the injuries of those who were injured because of the driver’s negligence. So unless the victim was negligent and the negligence was the sole cause of his or her injuries, then compensation is going to be available—even if not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Contact a Philadelphia Auto Accident Lawyer.
After any accident involving a serious injury, contact a highly rated Philadelphia Auto Accident Lawyer such as Edith Pearce. Unlike the huge firms with dozens of attorneys and many different attorneys handling different aspects of your case, Edith Pearce is personally involved in every case that we handle. She genuinely cares about her clients and you will not be treated like just another case or file.