Don’t Get Careless On An ATV —Accidents And Injuries Can Be Serious
As you probably know, the sad fact is that many of the activities that we may find to be the most fun, can often be the most dangerous. Nowhere is that true the way it is true for riders of all terrain vehicles, or ATVs.
These vehicles are attractive to people for ATVs’ ability to go over rough terrain, scale hills, ditches and mountainsides, and for accessibility-unlike a car, where you need a license and need to know how to drive, there is no such requirement with an ATV.
ATVs Can be Dangerous
But ATVs can be very dangerous, and there are more and more ATV accidents, as these vehicles grow in popularity. It is estimated that 31 people every day are treated for ATV accident-related injuries. Between 1982-2018, there were over 15,000 fatalities because of ATV accidents. Of them, about a third were under the age of 16.
Why So Dangerous?
There are a lot of things that make ATVs so dangerous, and a lot of factors that go into ATV accidents.
The first is simply the terrain—ATVs are used for rough, uneven terrain, which can easily cause an ATV to flip over. When the ATV flips over, occupants can easily be thrown from the vehicle; many ATVs have no seatbelts, and if they do, many occupants fail to use them. When occupants are thrown out of the ATV, aside from the inherent danger in being expelled from a moving vehicle, people can find themselves crushed by the ATV itself.
ATVs can go up to 30 mph—an extraordinarily dangerous speed if the vehicle runs into a tree or other obstacle, which can happen in dense forest areas where ATVs are often ridden.
Many ATV riders don’t use helmets, and there are almost no laws that require that ATV riders use helmets. This makes the risks of serious injury when someone is thrown from an ATV, even higher.
ATVs are seen as fun, which they are—but that can also lead ATV users to be more reckless, and less concerned with safety.
Many ATV drivers are young—parents often think of a young teenager as being perfectly capable of operating an ATV, even though the child may never have driven or operated any type of vehicle in his or her life.
Who is Liable?
In ATV accidents, there may be a lot of parties that could be responsible for the ATV accident.
If the injured victim is a passenger, they may have a claim against the ATV’s driver. Drivers of other ATVs can sue other drivers for causing accidents. Anybody injured when a minor is driving an ATV, may have a claim against the minor’s parents, for allowing him or her to operate an ATV at too young of an age.
If you have suffered an injury on an ATV or for any other reason, we can help. Call the Knoxville personal injury lawyers at Fox Willis Burnette, PLLC, today.
