Paediatric Burns From Deployment of a Concealed Aviation Seatbelt Airbag

Abstract

The advantages of airbags in reducing the rate of severe injuries and fatalities in motor vehicle crashes are well known but the physical act of airbag deployment can lead to injury to the passenger and the spectrum of airbag trauma resulting from deployment of vehicle airbags has been extensively reported. We present the first reported case of a pediatric burn injury resulting from the accidental deployment of an airbag in an aircraft. A four-year-old female child sustained injuries to the left side of her face and body while she was aboard a stationary airplane and the airbag concealed within the seat belt of her airplane seat unexpectedly and inexplicably deployed just before departure. We are presenting the case to increase awareness of the possibility of this injury in aircraft and to enable minimization of such accidents as well as help establish protocols for dealing with such mishaps if there were to happen.

Keywords: air-bags; burn injury; pediatric case.

Figure 1. Progression and stages of healing.

(a) Two days after injury; (b) two months after injury; (c) one year after injury.