When Safety Features Cause Harm: Concussions from Airbag Deployment in Car Accidents

Airbags were designed to save lives and they do. Over a 30-year span, frontal airbags have been credited with at least 50,000 documented life-saving deployments. But there is a side of airbags rarely discussed in vehicle safety campaigns: the very mechanism engineered to protect you can, under the wrong conditions, cause serious brain injury in a car accident. For thousands of crash survivors each year, the force of an airbag deploying becomes the source of a concussion – a traumatic brain injury that may not show visible damage on a scan but can derail every aspect of a person’s life.

Understanding how airbag-related concussions happen, what symptoms to watch for, and what legal rights you have is critical, especially in the hours and days after a crash when confusion and adrenaline can mask a serious injury.

How Airbags Can Cause a Concussion

To understand the injury, you first have to understand the physics. Airbags inflate in less than 1/20th of a second, roughly the blink of an eye, deploying at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour and generating an impact force of approximately 2,600 pounds. This explosive expansion is intentional; the bag must fill the space between the occupant and the steering wheel or dashboard before the occupant’s body catches up to the collision.

When everything works as designed, the airbag cushions the blow. But when an occupant is out of position, seated too close to the steering column, or struck at an unexpected angle, the airbag itself becomes the source of blunt-force trauma. The rapid strike jolts the brain inside the skull, the same mechanism that causes concussions in football players and combat veterans, resulting in microscopic damage to brain cells and nerve fibers that standard imaging rarely detects.

A concussion is classified medically as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), defined by the CDC as a disruption in normal brain function caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. “Mild” in clinical terminology refers to the initial severity level, not the long-term consequences, which can be substantial and lasting.

How Common Are These Injuries?

The numbers tell a striking story about the scale of brain injury in American roadways.

• According to the CDC, there were approximately 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020 and 68,663 TBI-related deaths in 2023, translating to more than 586 hospitalizations and 190 deaths every single day in the United States.
• Motor vehicle crashes are among the leading causes of TBI, accounting for roughly 17% of all TBI cases across age groups and producing the highest percentage of TBI-related deaths at 31.8%, according to NHTSA research data.
• The CDC reports that 25% of all TBI-related hospitalizations in recent tracked years were directly attributable to motor vehicle crashes.
• Research published in Orthopedic Reviews notes that TBIs due to motor vehicle collisions account for 50% of all fatal and non-fatal TBIs combined.
• The CDC estimates that 3.8 million concussions occur annually in the United States — a number widely regarded as an undercount, since many go undiagnosed or unreported.
• A study by the Atlanta National Center for Injury Prevention and Control found that approximately 280,000 people in the U.S. suffer a motor vehicle-induced traumatic brain injury every year.

These figures underscore why concussions following car accidents, including those triggered by airbag deployment, must be treated as medical emergencies, not minor inconveniences.

Types of Crashes Where Airbag Concussions Occur

Airbag-related concussions are not limited to catastrophic high-speed collisions. They occur across a wide spectrum of crash scenarios:

• Front-end (head-on) collisions are the most common, where the frontal airbag deploys directly toward the driver or front passenger’s face and head.
• Side-impact (T-bone) crashes can trigger side curtain airbags that strike the head from the side, sometimes with even less warning than a frontal deployment.
• Rear-end collisions cause the head to whip sharply backward and forward — a motion that can trigger airbag deployment and simultaneously cause the head to rebound against the inflating bag.
• Rollover accidents may involve multiple airbag deployments in rapid succession, compounding the risk of concussion with each impact.
• Low-speed accidents can also produce airbag concussions when the deployment is miscalibrated or when the occupant is improperly positioned, even at speeds where one might not expect a serious injury.

The common thread across all of these scenarios is the same: the head experiences either a direct strike from the airbag or a violent acceleration/deceleration event that the brain cannot absorb without injury.

Recognizing Concussion Symptoms After an Accident

One of the most dangerous characteristics of airbag-related concussions is that symptoms are frequently delayed. Many crash survivors feel relatively fine in the immediate aftermath, aided by the adrenaline surge of the accident, only to notice worsening symptoms in the hours or days that follow. This delay leads many people to underestimate the severity of their injury or skip medical evaluation altogether.

Symptoms to watch for include:

• Headache or a feeling of pressure in the head — the most common concussion symptom
• Confusion, “brain fog,” or difficulty concentrating
• Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting
• Sensitivity to light and noise
• Blurred or double vision
• Memory problems, including difficulty recalling the accident itself
• Sleep disturbances — sleeping more than usual or having difficulty falling asleep
• Mood changes, including irritability, anxiety, or unusual sadness
• Loss of consciousness — though it is important to note that approximately 90% of concussions do not involve loss of consciousness, so its absence does not rule out a serious brain injury

Any person involved in a crash where an airbag deployed should seek emergency medical evaluation immediately, not only to treat potential injuries, but to create a documented medical record that is essential if legal action becomes necessary later.

A Note on Invisible Injuries and Insurance Companies

Concussions present a uniquely difficult challenge in personal injury claims because they typically leave no visible mark on standard diagnostic imaging. CT scans and MRIs, while valuable for ruling out bleeding and fractures, are not designed to detect the microscopic cellular changes that define a concussion. Insurance adjusters are well aware of this  and some exploit it.

This speaks to a pattern that plays out in car accident claims across the country: a survivor presents with debilitating headaches, cognitive difficulties, and emotional disturbances, only to have an insurance adjuster point to a clean scan as grounds to dispute or minimize the claim. Experienced legal representation matters in these cases because proving the full value of a concussion injury requires more than a radiology report, it requires thorough documentation, medical expert testimony, and a lawyer who understands how invisible injuries become life-altering ones.

Frequently Asked Questions about Concussions from Airbag Deployment

Can an airbag really cause a concussion if I was wearing my seatbelt? Yes. While seatbelts are essential safety devices, they do not prevent the head from being struck by a deploying airbag or prevent the brain from being jolted inside the skull. In fact, a seatbelt can sometimes hold the torso in place while the head snaps forward into the airbag, concentrating force on the neck and head.

What if I didn’t hit my head on anything, can I still have a concussion? Yes. A concussion can result from the violent acceleration and deceleration of the head, even without direct contact with an object. The rapid motion alone can cause the brain to collide with the inner walls of the skull.

How long do airbag concussion symptoms typically last? Most concussions resolve within 7–10 days with proper rest and medical guidance. However, some individuals develop post-concussion syndrome, in which symptoms persist for weeks, months, or even longer. Risk factors for prolonged symptoms include prior concussions, age, and the severity of the initial injury.

Should I go to the ER even if I feel okay? Absolutely. Symptoms can be masked in the immediate aftermath of a crash by adrenaline. Medical evaluation within 24 hours establishes a baseline record and allows doctors to monitor for dangerous complications such as intracranial bleeding, which can develop gradually.

Does a normal CT scan mean I don’t have a concussion? No. Standard CT scans and MRIs do not typically detect the cellular and neurochemical changes that define a concussion. A normal scan is not a clean bill of health following a crash where significant force was involved.

Can I file a legal claim for a concussion caused by an airbag in someone else’s car? Yes. If another driver’s negligence caused the accident, you may have a claim for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages, even if your injury does not appear on imaging. An experienced personal injury attorney can help evaluate your case and build the documentation necessary to support your claim.

What if the airbag deployed improperly or at the wrong time? In cases where an airbag deploys due to a manufacturing defect, faulty sensor calibration, or improper installation, there may be a product liability claim against the vehicle manufacturer or component maker in addition to any third-party negligence claim. These cases are complex and require investigation by attorneys experienced in both personal injury and product liability law.

Contact the 5-Star Rated Airbag Concussion Injury Attorneys at John J. Malm & Associates

If you or a loved one has suffered a concussion following a car accident involving airbag deployment, you have legal rights and a limited window of time in which to protect them. Illinois law imposes strict deadlines on personal injury claims, and evidence critical to your case begins to deteriorate the moment the accident is over. Medical records, accident scene evidence, airbag deployment data stored in the vehicle’s event data recorder, and witness accounts all need to be preserved quickly.

At John J. Malm & Associates, our Illinois car accident attorneys have decades of experience representing brain injury victims throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and Northern Illinois. Attorney John J. Malm serves on the Chicago Advisory Board of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and has a deep personal and professional commitment to ensuring that invisible injuries, like concussions, are taken seriously and fairly compensated. Our firm has recovered more than $100 million for injured clients, and we understand exactly how insurance companies attempt to undervalue these claims.

If you were involved in a crash where airbags deployed and are now experiencing any symptoms of a concussion, even ones that seem minor, do not wait. Contact John J. Malm & Associates today for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Your brain health and your legal rights are too important to leave to chance.