Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

In Victorville, Calif., a 56-year-old man died when his 2008 Yamaha Rhino ran off the road.

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Two years ago, Julie Wright boarded the Yamaha Rhino side-by-side all terrain vehicle with a friend, snapping on a helmet and buckling up for safety. Those safety precautions did little to keep her out of danger. Five minutes into the ride, the driver, who is an experienced utility vehicle driver, made a slight left turn on even terrain at a slow rate of speed when suddenly the vehicle tumbled over, causing Wright’s foot to jerk out of the ATV and wedge between the ground and the vehicle’s padded roll bar. Her foot was crushed.

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Two youngsters in Amador County, California, were injured over the Labor Day weekend when the Rhino in which they were traveling rolled over during a turn, according to the local Ledger Dispatch. Both the driver and passenger were 17 years old. Their names have not been released due to their being minors.

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A Wisconsin family is picking up the pieces after a tragic weekend, when 3-year-old Andrew M. Bahl was killed in a Yamaha Rhino rollover accident. The boy was a passenger on a vehicle driven by his father, Bradley J. Bahl, age 29.

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A Texas boy, Michael McCloud, age 8, died over the weekend when he was thrown from a Yamaha Rhino when it rolled over. He was a passenger on the vehicle, driven by 12-year-old Kinsey McCloud, also of Richardson, Texas. The accident took place in McClain County, Oklahoma. It is unclear if or how the two youngsters are related.

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Like it or hate it, celebrities these days are watched and imitated. The celebrity tabloid world was buzzing today about a photo snapped of Brad Pitt holding his 2-year-old daughter, Shiloh, on his lap while he was driving a Yamaha Rhino ATV. Star watchers bashed the actor, noting that the Rhino is a powerful and heavy piece of equipment, and that he was placing the child in an unsafe situation.

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I recently came across a blog post from a family in Utah. All set to enjoy a long weekend at a mountain cabin, their plans came to an abrupt halt when a Yamaha Rhino rollover accident resulted in a trip to the emergency room. It actually could have been worse. An uncle loaded a few of his nieces and their friends onto the Rhino and thrilled the girls by doing “doughnuts.” However, the Rhino rolled over, throwing the girls and pinning the uncle underneath.

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An 11-year-old boy in New York state was honored recently for his heroic action in a Yamaha Rhino rollover accident, which Keesville Volunteer Fire Department personnel credit with saving his father’s life. The boy, Ryan Mills, pulled his dad, Albert, from under the 2,000-pound recreational vehicle. The Rhino flipped during a turn and pinned the man’s leg underneath, badly crushing it. The boy then ran for home, drove a large pickup truck back to the accident scene and drove his father home, where emergency personnel were able to reach him.

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A Texas couple has filed a lawsuit against Yamaha USA, Yamaha Manufacturing, and Yamaha Motor, saying the Rhino ATV is unreasonably dangerous, according to a report in the Southeast Texas Record. Ryan Rogers was injured while riding in a Yamaha Rhino on relatively flat ground when the ATV rolled toward the passenger side, the Record reports.

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serious injury and death have resulted from rollover accidents involving the Yamaha Rhino

Yamaha Rhino, a popular all terrain vehicle (ATV) manufactured by Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., is the subject of legal scrutiny after cases of serious injury and death have resulted from rollover accidents involving the vehicle. The Rhino has been in production since 2003.

Attorneys at Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., are currently evaluating claims against Yamaha Motor Corporation on behalf of people who suffered serious injury in a Yamaha Rhino ATV accident, or whose loved ones were injured or killed in these serious crashes.

Pending claims allege that design defects make the Rhino fundamentally unstable. Information on the company’s web site, www.yamaha-motor.com and in the Yamaha Rhino Owner’s Manual acknowledges that “abrupt maneuvers or aggressive driving have caused rollovers - even on flat, open areas.”

A Yamaha Rhino safety bulletin was issued to Rhino owners in August 2007 advising that vehicles could be returned to Yamaha dealers for installation of new equipment - doors and passenger handholds - at no cost to owners, to improve vehicle safety. Yamaha recommended that Rhino owners have the doors and handholds installed.

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., Customer Support Group, followed up with a letter to Rhino Owners in September 2006 urging safe operation, warning of risk of tip over or rollover under “certain conditions” and providing instructions for avoiding / correcting a tip over and safe operator / passenger conduct in the event of a tip over / rollover. Warning labels for attachment on the Rhino passenger enclosure were enclosed with the letter.

According to the Yamaha Motor Corporation web site, the 2007 Yamaha Rhino Owner’s Manual was updated to include the new doors and handholds, and including a note that these modifications were available at no charge to vehicle owners. Rhino owners were provided a supplemental Guide to Genuine Yamaha Doors/Handholds and Rhino Occupant Protection, as well as a new on-product label promoting awareness of the new products and acknowledging dangers of rollover. Dealers installing doors and passenger handholds were instructed to attach the new on-product label to the vehicle’s dashboard.

Doors and passenger handholds are standard on 2008 models of the Yamaha Rhino, according to Yamaha Motor Corporation’s customer service line. Customer service recommends that anyone purchasing a used Yamaha Rhino (prior to the 2008 model) check to see that the doors and passenger handholds have been installed, and to see a local Yamaha authorized dealer to install these items if this has not been done.

Download a PDF of the updated 2007 Yamaha Rhino Owner’s Manual

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/Rhino%20Owner%20Info/LIT_11626_20_64.pdf

Download a PDF of the 2007 supplemental Guide to Genuine Yamaha Doors / Handholds and Rhino Occupant Protection

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/Rhino%20Owner%20Info/rhino_guide_supplement.pdf

Download a PDF of the 2007 on-product label for the Yamaha Rhino

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/Rhino%20Owner%20Info/SERIGRAPH_sticker_01.pdf