Dangerous Yamaha Rhino ATVs Causing Serious Injuries and Deaths

The popular Yamaha Rhino all-terrain vehicle has a dangerous and potentially deadly propensity to roll over, even when it is being driven at slow speeds on level ground. With a narrow wheel base and smaller tires than other ATV models, the Yamaha Rhino has a higher center of gravity that makes it much more likely to tip over, especially when it is going over bumpy terrain or around corners.

The Yamaha Rhino and other ATV models are to blame for thousands of deaths and serious injuries each year. In 2006 alone, an estimated 555 people – including 100 children – were killed in accidents involving ATVs. Another 146,600 people – more than one quarter of them children — were treated in United States emergency rooms for ATV-related injuries in 2006, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Yamaha Rhino Defective Design

The defective design of the Yamaha Rhino increases the likelihood that drivers and passengers will suffer severe injuries during rollovers and other accidents. Common injuries include broken legs (tibia), broken arms, and devastating head and spinal cord injuries. The defective design of the Yamaha Rhino is due to the following flaws:

  • No doors on the passenger compartment
  • No handholds inside the passenger compartment
  • Narrow wheel base
  • Small tires
  • High center of gravity

Yamaha Blames Drivers for Rhino Injuries

In response to mounting criticism about the safety of the Rhino and the tendency of the vehicle to flip over, Yamaha officials blamed “aggressive driving” and “abrupt maneuvers” by drivers as the primary reason for the accidents. Yamaha also said that some occupants of Rhinos were injured in roll-over accidents when they placed their arms or legs outside the vehicle. The company failed to recognize that victims of roll-over ATV accidents are unable to control their arms and legs as they are violently thrown around inside the open passenger compartment during an accident.

While Yamaha has blamed drivers for accidents and injuries involving the Rhino, the company developed doors and passenger handholds for the ATV and offered them free of charge to owners of the 2004-2007 ATV models. The doors and handholds were made available only as special features and were not made standard equipment in future Rhino models. The company has not addressed the top-heavy design of the Rhino ATV.

Yamaha Rhino Accident Victims Have Legal Rights

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Yamaha Rhino ATV accident, you have rights. You may be eligible for financial compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost income and other damages. The attorneys at Mark & Associates, P.C., will fight to achieve the best possible legal outcome in your case. Please contact our offices today for a free consultation about your potential Rhino case. Call 1-866-50-RIGHTS (1-866-507-4448) or fill out the form at the right.

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