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2019 RAM 1500 — AIR BAGS

1 fatal1 injured · 1914661 · 2023-07-31

Vehicle

Make
RAM
Model
1500
Year
2019
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
AIR BAGS
Speed
65 mph

Severity

Deaths
1
Injured
1
Fire
No
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
Yes
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

Dodge pickup was traveling south down the highway at 65 mph and was met by an approaching semi pulling a fully loaded belly dump trailer also traveling at 65 mph. When both vehicles were about to meet, the trailer unloaded all 46,000 pounds of large rock onto the highway. The rocks proceeded to bounce into the front end of the Dodge at estimated speeds of 120-150 mph and lasted approximately 1 mile of highway (mile marker to mile marker). The driver of the Dodge engaged his brakes and was able to come to a complete stop on the roadway, but was struck in the side of the head by one of the rocks and died a short time later at a nearby hospital. The pickup sustained approximately $46,000 in damages during the incident, including major front end damage, a cracked radiator making the vehicle undrivable, and both a broken dash and bent steering wheel from the one rock that made it through the windshield. The Dodge was considered a complete loss by the insurance company. Both the driver and passenger of the Dodge were wearing their seatbelts and not a single airbag was deployed during the incident, including the steering wheel airbag. The steering wheel, which was hit by a rock traveling at an estimated speed of 120-150 mph, bent from the force of the impact, yet the airbag did not deploy. Had it deployed, the driver of the Dodge wouldn't have sustained such a catastrophic injury and would more than likely still be alive.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11535493
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown