All-Terrain Vehicle Accidents
All-terrain vehicles (ATVs), also known as quads or four-wheelers, are popular sport and utility vehicles that many people of all ages enjoy in the summer months. Not only are they fun to ride, but they also help with farming, hunting, camping, transporting materials, and even plowing.
Despite the advantages and the recreational benefits they offer, these vehicles are potentially dangerous for the rider, especially if they’re traveling at high speeds. Sadly, between 1982 and 2017, more than 15,000 people lost their lives in ATV-related accidents, and countless others suffered painful injuries.
Operator error is commonly to blame for ATV accidents, but there have been cases where manufacturer defects have caused experienced riders to lose control and crash. In some cases, these manufacturers intentionally chose to loosen their safety guidelines to cut costs and bolster profit margins, resulting in an inferior product with the potential to injure the person who purchased it.
Injuries resulting from defective all-terrain vehicles can be devastating — causing significant physical, financial, and emotional suffering.
If you, or someone you love, has been injured in an ATV-related accident, contact our experienced personal injury attorneys at Zwillinger Wulkan to discuss your case.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you may own and enjoy an all-terrain vehicle, there’s no need to worry unless you find your specific brand on the Consumer Affairs website, where you can scroll through the most recent recalls affecting the industry and keep yourself informed about the products in your home.
If your accident occurred due to a product defect and not user negligence, you could be eligible to sue the manufacturer. However, this can be difficult to prove in a legal situation, as you have to provide evidence that you received the product with a defect that caused the failure.
Whether you use your ATV for work or pleasure, if it wasn’t designed or manufactured properly, you can get seriously injured. For example:
- the ATV can roll over due to defective wheels or poor weight distribution
- the driver can get pinned under the roll bar
- the operator can be fully or partially ejected
- the ATV can overheat and catch fire, causing burn injuries
- the suspension may be too soft to hold a hill
Rollovers are the most common cause of injury, orften resulting in the driver being thrown from the vehicle, or even crushed underneath its weight.
Because ATVs travel at high speeds and lack a protective enclosing, injuries can be devastating, often resulting in:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Paralysis
- Amputation
- Severe burns
- Broken Bones
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Nerve Damage
- Internal Bleeding
- Death