Alberta woman killed in ATV rollover
An all-terrain vehicle rollover claimed the life of an Alberta, Canada woman earlier this month. The woman, identified as Gaye-Lynne Westad of Beaverlodge, Alberta, was an experienced ATV driver and enthusiast.
News for August, 2009
Jurors in first Rhino rollover case hear accusations against Yamaha
Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the first case against Yamaha to go to court told the jury last week that Rhino vehicles are “unreasonably dangerous” and that Yamaha knows it. The lawsuit was filed by the parents of Forest “Eddie” Ray, a 13-year-old boy from Southeast Texas who was killed when the Rhino he was driving rolled over, crushing his head under the roll cage. The case is being tried in a state courtroom in Orange County, Texas with Judge Buddy Hahn, 163rd Judicial District, presiding.
First Yamaha Rhino lawsuit goes to trial
A lawsuit against Yamaha Motor Corporation and its subsidiaries, filed by the parents of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a Rhino rollover accident, became the first of some 500 wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits to go to court in North America. Attorneys for Yamaha had tried to force the lawsuit into arbitration, but the Ninth Court of Appeals of Texas rejected its petition.
CPSC reminds Rhino riders to exercise caution this summer
The Consumer Products Safety Commission issued a special advisory today reminding consumers to exercise caution when riding recreational off-road vehicles (referred to as ROVs in the advisory).
CBS casts spotlight on Yamaha Rhino flaws, instability
An in-depth report of Yamaha Rhinos published by CBS exposes some surprising and ironic facts surrounding the history of the popular off-road vehicle. According to the report, in July 2002, Yamaha executives gathered in an expanse of rural Kentucky to test drive prototypes for a “new generation” of off-road vehicles. These new vehicles would take off-roading to a new level, replacing the single rider ATVs that riders had to straddle, with side by side seats, a cargo compartment and a frame narrow enough to fit in the back of a standard pickup truck. These New Generation Vehicles, or NGVs as Yamaha execs called them, would later be known as the Yamaha Rhino. The first Rhino rollover injuries would occur during these test drives.
ATV rollover claims the life of Alberta man
The Edmonton Journal reported another ATV-related death in Alberta involving a man who was found in a ditch adjacent to Highway 2 in the vicinity of Sawridge Creek. Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Slave Lake in central Alberta said the man was found by emergency workers around 2 a.m. on July 18. The victim was identified as Christopher Zuberbier of Wagner, Alberta. He was lying unresponsive underneath his overturned ATV when emergency workers arrived at the scene.