While details of the accident haven’t been released, it has been reported that Tate suffered a broken jaw and facial lacerations. Tate’s face bore the brunt of the accident, but fortunately he was protected from head injuries because he wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

A high school center fielder from Cartersville, Georgia, Tate signed with the Padres on August 17 and received a $6.5 million bonus, the largest signing bonus in franchise history. He is 18 years old.

Tate, who has not played a game with the Padres yet, had been in recovery and rehabilitation after having surgery on a sports-related hernia in October. Following his ATV accident, surgeons reportedly inserted steel plate in Tate’s mouth and wired his jaw shut.

Despite all of his injuries, the Padres say that Tate will be ready for spring training. The team is likely to have had some practice in thinking positively, since 8 of their 10 top draft picks, including Tate, have suffered from injuries or had personal problems soon after the draft.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates 150,900 ATV-related injuries treated in emergency rooms nationwide will be recorded for the statistical year 2007 – nearly double the number of injuries reported 10 years ago. Despite occasional drops in the number of reported ATV-related injures and deaths from year to year, the overall trend since 1988 has been upward.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Top MLB draft pick Tate injured in ATV crash

The accident occurred at West Florida Motocross Park in the northern section of Walton County. The racing park normally holds up to 6 ATV races a year, drawing participants and spectators from across the South, the park’s co-owner Krystal King told the Walton Sun.

According to King, Pierce was the first fatality at the park since she and her husband purchased it about a year ago.

Witnesses said that Pierce’s ATV went airborne after topping a hill on the course, propelling the boy forward over the handlebars. After Pierce hit the ground, the vehicle crashed on top of him, splitting his helmet in half. Emergency medical workers flew the boy to North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview, Florida, where he died just after 1:30 p.m.

WMBB in nearby Panama City said that the accident “leaves some parents with questions about ATVs,” especially in the holiday season when many children receive ATVs as Christmas gifts.

State laws may govern what ATVs children may legally ride and where there they can ride them. After that, staying safe is mostly a matter of following safety procedures.

King told the Walton Sun that all drivers at West Florida Motocross Park must wear helmets, boots, long-sleeve shirts, and long pants. Chest protectors, knee pads, and neck braces are optional gear that many people choose to wear.

“Even with the gear it can be very dangerous,” King told the Walton Sun.

The past few days have been particularly deadly for children driving or riding on ATVs. Last weekend, ATV accidents and rollovers claimed the lives of a 5-year-old in South Carolina, a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, and a 3-year-old boy central Wisconsin.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Mississippi teen dies in Florida ATV accident

In Maryland, Joseph Paciera, 24, died Tuesday night when he lost control of the ATV he was driving and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, a 21-year-old Maryland woman was rushed to the hospital, where she is being treated for life-threatening injuries. Authorities say that the ATV rolled over and landed on top of Panciera and his passenger.

KOMO News in Seattle reports that a 41-year-old man was critically injured when his ATV crashed on a city street in West Seattle late Christmas night. The man was riding his ATV with a friend, who did not witness the accident because he was driving ahead of the victim when the accident occurred. The injured man was admitted to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, where he is being treated for life-threatening injuries.

In Miami, two children who received an ATV as a Christmas present last year were flown to the hospital with serious injuries on this Christmas day. A 15-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were riding the ATV when it hit a bump in the road, causing the ATV to lose control and run head-on into a car that was in motion. Authorities weren’t sure if the children were wearing any protective gear when the accident occurred.

Further north in Central Florida, a 7-year-old child was critically injured while driving an ATV on private property on Christmas Eve. The ATV struck a small tree, throwing the child from the vehicle around 2 p.m. The child was airlifted to a Tallahassee hospital. Charges will be filed because of the incident, according to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol.

In yet another incident in Florida, a 27-year-old Cape Coral man received severe head injuries when his ATV rolled over on Christmas day. According to police, Justin Sears, the victim, was not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. His 3-year-old passenger, who was wearing a helmet, suffered only minor injuries.

Sadly, an 11-year old girl died near Jacksonville, Florida when the ATV she was driving rolled over and landed on top of her. The victim, Carmen Jenkins, was a fifth grader at Rusk Intermediate School. The accident occurred at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, December 20. Carmen was visiting her grandmother and grandfather in Red Springs when the accident occurred.

A 51-year-old man died in Oregon when he was thrown from the ATV he was driving on Monday, December 22. Investigators at the scene of the accident said that the ATV apparently spun out in the heavy snow, catapulting Gary Boyko of Boring, Oregon into a fence made of railroad tie posts not far from his home. Boyko’s death was the result of “blunt force trauma to the chest.”

Any number of factors can be responsible for an ATV wreck, whether it be serious design flaws, lack of safety gear, irresponsible drivers, or a combination of things. The tragic events of this last week should remind us that all ATVs should be handled with caution and driven responsibly. More unstable ATVs, such as the Yamaha Rhino, should be handled with extreme caution or avoided altogether, as some safety advocates and victims believe.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Holiday season turns tragic for many ATV owners

Rachel A. Jollimore was in the passenger seat of the vehicle when the driver swerved to avoid hitting a tree, causing the Rhino to roll onto its side. Jollimore was pinned underneath the UTV. She sustained a fractured skull and broken hand in the accident, which occurred in a field in Silver Springs, Florida.

Jollimore told Ocala.com that she has been considerably impaired since the July 2007 accident. “I have to watch what I do. I can’t pick anything up heavy. I can bend, but I have a limited ability. I can’t sleep on my stomach,” she told Ocala.com

In addition to suing Yamaha, Jollimore has filed suit against a manufacturing division of Yamaha and the Ocala dealer that sold the Rhino. Her suit alleges the Rhino possesses a number of design flaws that make it unsafe, including high center of gravity, narrow track width, narrow wheels and tires, and side-by-side seating. all of which contribute to the vehicle’s propensity to roll over in certain conditions.

The suit is one of the latest in a growing number of lawsuits against Yamaha throughout the country. About 200 lawsuits involving the Rhino UTV have been filed to date in both state and federal courts.

The Rhino debuted in the U.S. in 2003. Since then, more than 100,000 of the UTVs have been sold nationwide.

Jollimore has accrued more than $100,000 in medical expenses related to the accident. She seeks damages for herself and for her family, according to Ocala.com.

Yamaha continues to stand behind the Rhino and its design, claiming that the vehicle is safe when it is used responsibly.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Florida woman injured in Rhino wreck sues