Can a Car Explode Upon Impact?
What a horrible thought of your car being hit or hitting another vehicle and exploding on impact. The possibilities of getting out of that situation with few injuries, or at all, leave much to be desired. You may wonder if a car explosion happening is even possible, except in the movies?
Most of the professionals give their opinion of the odds of this happening, and most say that this can happen, although the odds are low. According to Dr. Stephen Granande, a renowned physicist, it is not likely. He explained that cars do catch on fire for different reasons, and if this happens, the fire is intense, and the aftermath often looks like something indeed did explode.
It is rare for a car to explode because there must be much hot gas that rockets outwards. The car part that is likely at fault is the gas tank. However, to make this happen is rare. Gasoline is not explosive. However, gasoline is volatile inside the engine. There must be some specifics present for this to happen, such as,
- The car engine vaporizes the gasoline
- Vaporization turns the gasoline into a gas
- The gas must mix with air
- Then a spark from flame mixes with the gas, causing an explosion.
If you were to light a match and touch it with some gasoline, it will not explode but sit and burn. To make your car turn on, you need,
- Gasoline or fuel
- Air to create oxidation
- Fire or spark to ignite the engine, not explode it.
Other materials in the car’s interior tend to burn like wildfire out of control, such as plastic and foam, but even these do not explode. These days, new vehicles’ standards dictate that materials inside a car must be flame retardant but being retardant does not mean that it will not burn. Once these synthetic materials start to burn, they burn very hotly for a very long time.
The following are ways in which vehicles catch on fire.
- A failure in the electrical system
- A leak in the fuel system such as fuel lines
- Fluids leaking or spilled under the hood
- Overheating engines
- Car crashes
- Design errors by the manufacturer
If a car catches on fire, it will burn long and hard but rarely explode. There needs to be a perfect match of fire, oxygen, and gas for an explosion. Although gas is not explosive, it takes a combination of some aspects in the ideal proportion to cause a car to explode.
Car manufacturers of the 21st Century make cars so that they do not explode. When a vehicle is on fire, it affects all parts of that car, such as the tires. For instance, when the tires start to burn, they burst, which sounds like an explosion. Another example is the gas tank. Because car gas tanks are not sealed tightly, extreme pressure within the tank cannot build up enough to cause an explosion.
Even though it has been established that it is rare for a car to explode, there are still plenty of car fires brought about by many instances. Not all drivers or their occupants get out of a burning vehicle in time to avoid severe burn injuries or death. Burns cause many months of painful healing. If the burns are extensive and deep, some disfigurements develop and are costly to treat. Medical costs skyrocket for months until you are healed, as well as can be expected.
Did you have this car fire situation and need help?
Do you know of a close friend or family member who was injured in a burning car?
Most of us have experienced a first-degree burn and know that this minor burn is painful.
What about second and third-degree burns? Can you imagine the pain and discomfort for weeks or months before healing takes place?
Can you begin to calculate the costs from this accident/injury?
Costs are too high for any private citizen to pay. Compensation is sorely needed to pay for,
- The mounting medical bills
- Lost wages
- Loss of vehicle
- Treatments
- Medication
- Living expenses
- Job loss
- Inability to ever work again
- Disability
- Physical, mental, and emotional costs
- Surgeries
- In-Home care
- Rehabilitation care
- Long-term care
- Death and the financial aftermath for families, and more
If you or a loved one suffered severe burns caused by another person’s negligent actions, you need to seek compensation to help take care of the mounting bills. Payment may come in the form of a lawsuit directed towards the car manufacturer, negligent actions of some person, wrongfully repaired car, another driver, and more.
A Call to Action for a Negligent Accident/Injury/Death
We are an experienced and seasoned law firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. We lend our expertise to those who are wrongly injured in an accident or whose loved one died due to the actions of a negligent person (s) or company. The mounting medical bills, loss of wages, and massive other costs associated with this type of accident need compensation to the victim (s). Few people relish claiming a lawsuit if they are injured through another person’s negligent actions. However, we are here to tell you that it is only through a settlement that will cover your financial losses, that you can finally bring some closure to your situation.
The judicial system aggressively fights for your rights to a fair and just settlement if you are wrongfully injured or die. This settlement can ease your pain and suffering from unnecessary injuries brought about by negligence.