{"id":34848,"date":"2026-08-30T07:10:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T07:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chglawyers.com\/resources\/crashworthiness-claims\/what-is-crashworthiness-second-collision\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T08:27:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T08:27:13","slug":"what-is-crashworthiness-second-collision","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chglawyers.com\/resources\/crashworthiness-claims\/what-is-crashworthiness-second-collision\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Crashworthiness? Vehicle Design Defects &"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Vehicle Design & Defects<\/p>

What Is Crashworthiness? When Vehicle Design Fails to Protect You<\/h1>

A vehicle's job is to protect you in a crash. When poor design, faulty components, or inadequate safety features cause catastrophic injury, you may have a claim against the manufacturer\u2014even if you didn't cause the accident.<\/p>

Get a Free Case Evaluation<\/a><\/div>
Get a Free Case Evaluation<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

By CHG Lawyers \u00b7 Published August 30, 2026<\/p>\n\n

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Crashworthiness Claims: When Vehicle Design Fails to Protect You<\/h2>\n

Your body hits the steering wheel. The dashboard. The windshield. The roof caves inward. You lose consciousness. When you wake up, you’re paralyzed from the waist down, or you can’t remember your own name, or your arm is gone.<\/p>\n

That moment\u2014when your body collides with the inside of your vehicle\u2014is where most catastrophic injuries happen. And it’s where a separate legal claim often exists that many injury victims never discover.<\/p>\n

That claim is called a crashworthiness claim<\/strong>. It holds vehicle manufacturers responsible for designing and building cars, trucks, and SUVs that actually protect you when a crash occurs. This is not about who caused the accident. This is about whether your vehicle did its job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you suffered a serious, permanent injury in a crash and you believe the vehicle's design or safety features failed to protect you, reach out. Talk it through with our team — the first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.<\/p>

Get a free consultation<\/a><\/div>
Get a free consultation<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The “Second Collision”: Where Catastrophic Injuries Happen<\/h2>\n

Most people don’t understand what happens in serious crashes.<\/p>\n

The first collision<\/strong> is the vehicle hitting another car, truck, tree, guardrail, or pavement. That’s the impact you hear and feel.<\/p>\n

The second collision<\/strong> happens in the next fraction of a second. Your body strikes the vehicle’s interior. The steering wheel. The dashboard. The windshield. The seat. The roof. The door frame. Your head, spine, chest, and limbs absorb forces they were never designed to withstand.<\/p>\n

The second collision is where vehicle design either protects you or fails you.<\/p>\n

When a vehicle’s safety systems and structural design fail during that second collision, the result can be:<\/p>\n