Driver dies after breathing in airbag fumes
 

beware :helpme

HARTLEPOOL, England ? A British driver who survived the impact of a minor car crash was killed by the fumes from his airbag.

Ronald Smith, 59, was not injured during the six-car wreck in Hartlepool, northeastern England, but the impact of the crash triggered his car's airbag and broke a window, which cut through the safety device.

The Vauxhall Insignia's punctured airbag released chemicals that quickly caused Smith, a healthy father of two, to suffer chest and breathing problems, the Scottish Daily Record reported Tuesday.

The engineer, from the nearby coastal town of Whitburn, was taken to the hospital in January 2011, two months after the crash. His lungs showed signs of infection, and he died from bronchial pneumonia.

Coroner Terence Carney said, "This man died as a result of this incident and more pointedly because of the explosion of his airbag, and this death should be recorded as misadventure."

Smith's widow, June, said, "I knew from the very beginning that it was the airbag. I just knew, but other people would look at me as if to say, 'Don't be silly.' Ronnie told me about the white powder straightaway. He said there was so much of it he couldn't see."

She added, "It's just not fair that you have to lose someone because of something that is meant to save a life."

A Vauxhall spokesman said the company would not comment but planned to investigate the incident.

Well that would suck.

.

Indeed .

Damn.. sucky

you'd think there would be a way to make that stuff non toxic.

How hard is to make something in the world today. It is proven to have saved lives and now they will be sued over this freak accident.

Death can be random indeed ...

The gas inside airbags should of course be neutral....erm, why NOT?

Sounds like someone is trying to get money out of vauxhall. I wonder how many airbags are blown each day and how many dies from inhaling their fumes.

Exactly, impact lasts no more than typically 10 seconds (personal experience), so unless they were deliberately inhailing the gas....FAIL CASE.

The way the article is worded it sounds like the airbag was damaged by broken glass, which may have released more of its innards to the atmosphere, compared to a "natural" deflation.

Fill two balloons with icing sugar, blow them both up... let one out slowly, and pop the other one. Which do you think would cause more white powder to float around? :D

that blows..
lots a ways to die though.
apparently microwave popcorn is another

i love that popcorn :(

NaN3 makes N2...
but the product is toxic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_azide

what about popcorn, you inhale it as well ?:helpme

Translation: Guy dies of bronchial pneumonia... airbags to be blamed in lawsuit.

I suppose we can just blame those nasty car manufacturers and a massive conspiracy for the death certificate saying he died of pneumonia.

no, it is possible

It's also "possible" for every particle, atom and molecule to line up perfectly to allow one to walk through a concrete wall.

:1orglaugh i eat so fast sometimes i lose my breath :1orglaugh

yes it is the flavoring mixture used for the "butter" flavor, do not inhale the hot fumes.