Tag: accident

Yamaha Rhino Recall Defective Products

Why Hasn’t Yamaha Recalled The Rhino?

Yamaha’s Rhino, an all terrain vehicle (ATV) which is marketed for use in rugged terrain, around a ranch or on flatland, has caused numerous injuries and death since it came on the market in 2003. So, why hasn’t it been recalled?
That’s what consumer groups and owners of the Rhino would like to know. The Rhino, which comes in three different engine sizes – a 450, 660 and 700 – did not come equipped with important safety features such as doors or handles to keep its occupants inside the vehicle during accidents. And there have been many accidents associated with the Rhino. The vehicle has a very narrow wheel base and a high center of gravity, so rollovers are common – even at low speeds. Due to these hazards, consumer groups say that the Rhino should have been recalled a long time ago to address these design defects.
However, manufacturers don’t particularly like recalls. They’re expensive, complicated and cause consumers to doubt not only the product, but the manufacturer as well. Yamaha doesn’t seem to be an exception. While it never “officially” recalled the Rhino, it did offer to provide owners with safety equipment such as doors and handles free of charge to keep occupants inside.
Although Yamaha thought that was “good enough”, consumer groups disagree because without an official recall, many owners never knew about the offer. In March 2008, Yamaha did finally issue an official recal of the Rhino, but only due to problems with a brake caliper that causes brake fluid to leak. If you’ve had an accident while being an occupant in the Rhino, click here to contact a Yamaha Rhino attorney at AttorneyPages.com.

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Yamaha Rhino Injuries Deaths Lawsuits Defective Products

Yamaha Rhino: Injuries, Deaths & Lawsuits Continue

Riders of Yamaha’s Rhino, known as a utility terrain vehicle (or UTV) continue to be injured and die while riding in the vehicle – and many of those victims are children who become pinned underneath it when it rolls over. The Rhino’s high center of gravity and narrow wheel base are generally the cause of accidents – and lawsuits against the company continue to be filed.
Defective & unreasonably dangerous product
Those are the terms generally used to describe Yamaha’s Rhino, a four wheel utility terrain vehicle that has been on the market for over five years. While newer versions of the Rhino come with improved safety features, older models did nothing to keep the driver or passengers inside the vehicle when it rolled over. As a result, many riders have either been thrown from the vehicle or have gotten pinned underneath it – generally at very low rates of speed.
New injuries, deaths & lawsuits continue
There have been hundreds of injuries and numerous deaths linked to the Yamaha Rhino and many of those involve children – the latest being a Texas boy who was killed when the Rhino he was riding in rolled over.
Although the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is investigating the matter, lawsuits against Yamaha continue. In fact, a motion to consolidate lawsuits against Yamaha was filed in December 2008. The lawsuits generally allege that Yamaha was negligent for failing to exercise reasonable care for the safety of plaintiffs by negligently designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling the vehicle without the necessary safety features, strict liability, breach of express and implied warranties, fraud, concealment and misrepresentation. They generally seek damages for medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, mental anguish and punitive damages.
If you’ve been injured due to the Yamaha Rhino, contact an experienced products liability attorney who understands the issues concerning this dangerous vehicle to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.

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Yamaha Rhino Lawsuit Defective Products

Yamaha Rhino: More & More Lawsuits Being Filed

Yamaha, the manufacturer of the Rhino, an all terrain vehicle (ATV), started seeing lawsuits being filed against it almost immediately after the Rhino was introduced five years ago. The number of lawsuits continues to increase as consumers continue to suffer serious injuries.
Serious injuries
Consumer groups say that serious injuries have occurred – and continue to occur – because Yamaha’s Rhino was rushed to market and is defectively designed.
Rushed to market. Experts say that Yamaha’s Rhino, which was meant to be used in rugged terrain, around a ranch or on flatland, was rushed to market after its competitor, Kawasaki, introduced the Mule – a similar vehicle. In order to get the Rhino to market quickly, Yamaha simply used the engine and chassis from its Grizzly – an ATV it already had on the market.
Experts say that Yamaha never adequately tested the vehicle before putting it on the market. While the company began seeing complaints – and lawsuits – it offered to install safety features to the vehicles. The only official recal has been for 2008 models because of problems with a brake caliper that causes brake fluid to leak.
Defectively designed. Yamaha’s rush to get the Rhino onto the market more quickly left little time for it to be effectively designed. The vehicle has a very high center of gravity and a very narrow wheel base and has a propensity to rollover – often crushing the driver or passengers’ limbs due to a lack of safety features such as doors or handles (which were only offered recently) to keep occupants inside of the vehicle. Unfortunately, many consumers didn’t realize this until it was too late.
If you’ve had an accident while being an occupant in the Rhino, click here to contact a Yamaha Rhino attorney at AttorneyPages.com.

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Yamaha Rhino Death And Injuries Defective Products

Yamaha’s Rhino ATV: Injuries and Deaths Continue

The Yamaha Rhino, an all terrain vehicle (ATV), continues to cause injuries and deaths across the nation – and many of the victims are children. The latest fatality is 8 year old Michael McCloud of Richardson, Texas.
A needless tragedy
According to news reports, the 8 year old boy and a 59 year old woman were passengers on a Yamaha Rhino ATV driven by the boy’s 12 year old brother. The ATV overturned and Michael suffered a massive trauma and died. Police reports stated that the vehicle “was turned sharply to the left as the three were riding on dirt in a pasture” and that “the ATV was reported to have then rolled onto the passenger side ejecting both front seat passengers” where it came to rest on top of Michael.
Hundreds of rollovers, but no recall
Even though the Yamaha Rhino has been linked to hundreds of rollovers, the manufacturer still hasn’t recalled the vehicle and is now defending itself in several lawsuits. In fact, one lawsuit was recently filed by a California man whose Rhino overturned at a low rate of speed and caused serious and permanent injuries to his right leg. He is alleging that the Yamaha Rhino is a dangerously unstable and defective product.
Since coming on the market in 2003, the Rhino has been linked to many injuries and deaths due to its high center of gravity and a very narrow wheel base and has a propensity to rollover and crush the occupants’ limbs, cause severe injuries – or in the case of 8 year old Michael – death. Many of the earlier Rhinos lacked safety features such as doors and handles. Unfortunately, these vehicles continue to be used. Although Yamaha claims that its offered to install the needed safety features, without a recall, many consumers simply don’t know about it.
Have you been injured in an ATV accident?
If you’ve been involved in an ATV accident, contact an experienced lawyer who understands the dangers of the Yamaha Rhino and other ATVs. Contacting a lawyer doesn’t cost you anything as consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential. Most accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means that they don’t get paid unless and until you recover.
If you would like to discuss your situation with an experienced lawyer, please click here.

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