LEESBURG,Fla. — A Leesburg woman blames a special kind of airbag for her severe injuries in a low-speed crash. She claims the vehicle's knee airbag cut her legs so badly, her recovery will take months.
Action 9's Todd Ulrich found other drivers claiming the same safety devices were responsible for their injuries, and they want federal regulators to investigate.
Marilyn Fry heard a loud bang, then saw her legs.
“The blood pouring down and hurting so badly I thought my legs were broken," she said.
Raw: Woman describes knee airbag injuries
Fry suffered deep cuts to her lower legs after a low-speed crash in her 2007 Toyota Avalon. The car's interior was not damaged, but she blames the knee airbag for her eight-day hospital stay and months of recovery.
“Did that knee airbag protect you?” asked Ulrich.
“No,” she replied.
“Did it hurt you?” he asked.
“Yes, very badly," she said.
Fry and her husband think the knee airbag's hard plastic cover made the deep cuts. They said they didn’t even realize the car had that kind of airbag.
“If I would have known, I would have disconnected it,” said Fry's husband, Morrie Fry.
Knee airbags are designed to prevent disabling leg injuries. But since 2008, the airbags caused injuries in eight crashes, according to the drivers who complained to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Action 9 found another one of the complaints also involved a Toyota Avalon. The owner told federal regulators the knee airbag cut both of his legs and that that was the only injury.
Ulrich showed the pictures of Fry's crash and injuries to repair expert Jay Zembower.
“In this case, it actually caused injuries that would not have happened,” said Zembower.
According to Zembower, newer devices like knee bags increase safety overall, but the triggering mechanism should be reviewed.
“That plastic trim at 200 mph hits her in the knees like a baseball bat. It's a severe impact," he said.
Action 9 asked Toyota about the Frys' concerns, and the automaker is reviewing what happened.
The couple sent their complaint to federal regulators.
“I wouldn't want to wish that on anyone,” said Marilyn Fry.
Toyota did not disclose what company made the airbag, but it's not covered by current recalls.
The carmaker also told Action 9 it sympathizes with anyone involved in an accident with its vehicles.
WFTV
