Legal Definitions - crashworthiness doctrine

The crashworthiness doctrine is a principle in products liability law that holds manufacturers responsible for injuries sustained in a collision, even if the collision was caused by an independent factor. This means that if a defect in the product causes injuries beyond what would have occurred in the collision itself, the manufacturer can be held strictly liable.

For example, if a car manufacturer produces a vehicle with a faulty airbag system that fails to deploy during a collision, and the occupants of the car sustain additional injuries as a result, the manufacturer can be held liable under the crashworthiness doctrine.

Another example would be if a manufacturer produces a motorcycle with a weak frame that collapses during a collision, causing the rider to sustain more severe injuries than they would have otherwise. In this case, the manufacturer could be held liable under the crashworthiness doctrine.

The crashworthiness doctrine is important because it helps ensure that manufacturers are held accountable for producing safe products that protect consumers in the event of a collision. By holding manufacturers responsible for defects that cause additional injuries, the doctrine encourages them to design and produce safer products.