Although four-wheelers, a slang term for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), are enjoyed safely by millions of Americans, they can lead to devastating accidents. Recreational four-wheeler accidents kill more than 700 and injure over 135,000 each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Tragically, children 15 years old and under are the victims in approximately 1/3 of these cases of injury and fatality.
ATV accidents also occur with riders who use four-wheelers in their occupation. More than 10 die, and over 150 suffer trauma, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). These accidents can end in a number of different types of injury, from minor scrapes and bruises to catastrophic injury such as paralysis.
If someone you know is involved in an accident while riding a four wheeler, the first thing one should do is seek treatment for any injuries. If no injuries are suspected, an accident victim should still be examined by a doctor to eliminate the possibility of injury.
There can be plenty of factors that contribute to a collision involving an ATV, which usually fall under the category of either operator behavior or failed equipment. Equipment failure can be attributed to either the driver or the manufacturer. Below are some other causes of ATV crashes:
– Carrying too many passengers
– Children operating adult-size four-wheelers
– Driver inexperience
– Driving on public roads
– Driving drunk
– Failure to check/maintain equipment
– Misjudging the safety of the terrain
– Speeding
– Steering failure
– Suspension failure
– Throttle failure
– Tire blowout
In some cases, a defective helmet leads to a more severe injury than would have been sustained while wearing a secure helmet. In such cases, manufacturer negligence may be present in the form of design defects.
Unfortunately, some of the accidents that lead to ATV injuries are caused by manufacturing defects in the vehicle itself. These are flaws that occur during the manufacturing process that can result in injuries. If the manufacturer was aware of such a flaw but does not notify consumers, they may be held liable because of a “failure to warn”.
A design defect is another type of structural issue that can lead to an accident. These are considered flaws in the product’s design that are dangerous. There have been hundreds of thousands of ATVs recalled since 200 due to design and manufacturing defects.