Shrager, Spivey & Sachs

Settlement for Hearing Injury Associated with Spontaneously Deployed Airbag

Managing partner Rob Sachs settled a highly contentious claim against a vehicle manufacturer for the spontaneous deployment of an airbag which permanently impaired a driver’s hearing. Attorney Sachs retained a nationally renowned Michigan physician whose expertise is hearing loss as a result of airbag deployment. Attorney Sachs presented evidence that airbags deploy with the noise equivalent of stranding next to the barrel of a howitzer. When the driver’s airbag deployed spontaneously and improperly, he suffered serious and permanent hearing loss to his left ear. Though the manufacturer denied responsibility, Attorney Sachs was able to settle the case prior to trial.

Managing Partner Sachs Proves Substantial Hearing Loss from Airbag Deployment

Managing partner Rob Sachs represented a college professor in his mid-80s in what first appeared to be a standard motor vehicle accident claim. The professor’s car was struck on the driver’s side door by a car that had run a red light, and investigating officers concluded the other driver was at fault. Despite obvious liability on the part of the other driver, the professor recovered from his obvious physical injuries quickly. As Attorney Sachs worked on the claim, he learned that the professor’s hearing in his left ear became worse after the accident. Based on his prior experience with airbag injuries, Attorney Sachs was able to prove that the professor had permanent hearing loss as a result of the airbag’s deployment. Hearing loss in his left ear was made acutely worse because the professor had already lost hearing in his right ear as the result of a childhood illness. As a frequent lecturer who maintained an active teaching load, the injury to his hearing was far more substantial than the obvious physical injuries he suffered in the accident.