NHTSA Complaint #11228908 — 2017 BMW 530I

I HAD AN ACCIDENT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ON MAY 8, 2019. ACCORDING TO BMW'S ACTIVATION SYSTEM THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT 6:58 PM. I TALKED WITH THE BMW CRASH ANALYST TEAM AND I WAS GOING 17.5 MPH WHEN I RAN THROUGH TWO SETS OF SCRUBS, HIT A GARAGE DOOR AND ENDED PARALLEL TO THE DOOR. ACCORDING TO BMW THE SEAT BELT ACTIVATED AT TIME OF IMPACT WITH THE FIRST SET OF SCRUBS AND WITHIN A MILLISECOND THE AIR-BAG DEPLOYED. I RECEIVED A BROKEN BACK IN THIS MINOR ACCIDENT. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THE AIR-BAG IS TO PROVIDE SAFETY TO THE DRIVERS UPPER TORSO AND HEAD. MY UPPER TORSO AND HEAD RECEIVED NO INJURY FROM THE ACCIDENT OR THE AIR-BAG. MY ASSUMPTION IS THE AIR-BAG HIT MY LOWER WAIST AREA RESULTING IN THE L-1 FRACTURE. TWO TITANIUM RODS WERE ALSO INSERTED TO STABILIZE THE L-2,3,4,5,11. WHEN DISCUSSING THIS 'POTENTIAL' FAULT WITH BMW N.A. IT WAS INDICATED THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA HOW THE AIR-BAG WILL DEPLOY AND THEY ARE GLAD THAT I AM OK ASIDE FROM THE BROKEN BACK. IF BMW DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THE AIR-BAG WILL DEPLOY IS THIS NOT A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN TESTING FOR THE DEPLOYMENT. IF IT DEPLOYED AS UNDERSTOOD TO THE UPPER TORSO AND HEAD, I WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE HAD A BROKEN NOSE THAN A BROKEN BACK!