According to Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower, the girls were riding the Rhino on a private ranch about 40 miles west of Cedar City in southwestern Utah near the Nevada and Arizona borders. The Rhino’s driver, a 9-year-old girl, hit the tree at a high rate of speed.

Gower told the Salt Lake Tribune that “the force of the wreck broke the bolts holding the seat.”

Gower identified the 5-year-old girl who was seriously injured as Avalon Carlisle. The girl suffered head trauma from the Rhino’s roll bar and was taken to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City, where she was airlifted to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City. A hospital spokesperson told the Salt Lake Tribune on Monday that the girl was recovering and in good condition.

The other girls went to private homes following the crash and Sheriff’s deputies had to track them all down. Sheriff Gower told the Tribune that the four other girls were then taken to Cedar City for medical attention.

None of the girls was wearing a helmet.

On public land in Utah, it is illegal for anyone younger than 8 years old to drive an ATV. All drivers ages 8 to 16 must have a safety training certificate if operating on public lands.

However, Utah state law does not place any restrictions on the use of all-terrain vehicles on private property. Nonetheless, police are screening the case for possible negligence charges.

Investigators were told that the girls took the vehicle on their own without permission. Nevertheless, Gower told the Tribune that the girls’ parents or guardians could be held accountable.

“It was negligent and charges could be filed against whoever allowed it or allowed them to continue riding,”

Gower told the Tribune that the owner of the Rhino lives in Colorado City, Arizona and was not present when the crash occurred.

Ann Evans, the off-highway vehicle coordinator for the Utah Division of State Parks, told the Tribune that she sees a “disturbing trend” at some popular off-roading locations with mothers holding their babies in chest carriers while riding.

Babies and children are especially prone to receive traumatic head injuries on an ATV, either from the rough, jarring motion of the vehicle or by striking their heads on a hard surface in the event of a crash or rollover. Helmet companies do not make helmets for infants.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Five girls injured in Yamaha Rhino rollover

According to Troy Police, Dacin was out riding ATVs with her flight instructor Saturday night when she hit a cement pad just before 1 a.m., causing the rollover. Dacin was ejected from the vehicle and hit her head. The ATV then landed on top of her.

Dacin was taken to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where doctors pronounced her dead just before 2 a.m. The Oakland County Meidcal Examiner’s Office said the official cause of death was head trauma. Dacin was not wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.

Dacin’s friend, Tracy Freeland, who graduated from Utica High School with her in 2006, said that Dacin liked to ride motorcycles and had considered joining the Air Force.

“She was a wild child. She just wanted to laugh and have fun,” Freeland told the Free Press. “She wanted to fly.”

Police are currently investigating whether alcohol played a factor in the ATV crash.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 816 ATV-related fatalities occurred in 2007, the agency’s most recent annual estimate. The federal government does not include side-by-side vehicles such as the Yamaha Rhino and certain Polaris models in its ATV estimates, so the fatalities linked to all off-road vehicles would be much higher.

The Free Press report says that Dacin was driving a quad, which the driver straddles – an ATV according to government classification.

The CPSC has reported a 53 percent increase in the number of ATV deaths from 1999 to 2007. The agency also estimates that about 135,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries caused by an ATV crash, compared with 81,800 in 1999 – a 65 percent increase. One-fifth of all ATV deaths involved children.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › ATV rollover kills 22-year-old student pilot

The boy’s parents told authorities they did not know the boy had taken the ATV and that they began to search for him “within several minutes.” They found the boy just after 7 p.m. trapped in the water underneath the overturned vehicle. The parents administered CPR until emergency medical help arrived.

Maryland’s Office of the Chief medical Examiner has ruled the boy’s death to be an accidental drowning.

Authorities say the boy was found wearing a helmet. According to the parents, he was allowed to ride the Polaris ATV, but they told authorities the ATVs had been put away for the night.

The investigation remains open, though Police have stated that it appears no laws were broken.

Maryland law prohibits children under 12 years to operate ATVs on public land, but there are no restrictions for ATV use on private property in the state.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has evaluated the safety standards for ATVs as established by the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association and found that they do not “adequately address the deaths and injuries associated with ROV rollovers and collisions.” Inadequate lateral stability, undesirable steering characteristics, and insufficient occupant protection during rollover crashes are some of the characteristics that make the vehicles so dangerous, the CPSC says.

In a statement last October about the dangers of ATVs, Inez Tenenbaum urged parents to keep their children off of ATVs.

“I urge all riders and passengers to strap on a helmet, use the seat belt, know the terrain, and never allow anyone under 16 to drive these vehicles,” Tenenbaum said.

Polaris touts its line of child-oriented vehicles with the tagline: TOUGH ATVs FOR TOUGH KIDS

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Maryland boy drowns after ATV rollover

According to authorities, 18-year-old Taykra Murphy was driving an Arctic Cat Prowler with three children on board, ranging in age from 3 to 11 . Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge said that Murphy lost control of the vehicle just after 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The ATV flipped onto its side and ejected the three children. According to witnesses, the occupants of the ATV were seen wearing helmets prior to the accident.

Two trucks from the Hebron Volunteer Fire & Rescue were dispatched to the scene of the accident after a 911 call was made. Also responding were two deputies and an investigator from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department; Nancy Barnett, an investigator from the Jones County District Attorney’s Office, and two ambulances.

A 3-year-old boy was found dead at the scene. Investigators believe he was killed immediately in the rollover. The other children received minor injuries and were treated on the scene.

“It is truly disheartening when accidents such as this occur,” Sheriff Hodge said. “We extend our prayers and condolences to the family of the 3-year-old and all those involved in this accident.”

Mississippi continues to rank highest among states for its number of ATV injuries and fatalities. The state’s numerous farms and enormous swaths of rural terrain make off-road vehicles extremely popular modes of transportation for both work and pleasure. Yet Mississippi lawmakers have resisted passing laws that would govern the use of ATVs, despite the concerns of safety experts and others who have seen first-hand the horrific injuries a simple ATV rollover can cause.

Because of the ATV’s popularity and the lack of state laws, ATV-related deaths and injuries are three times higher than they are in just about every other part of the country.

According to state numbers, 29 people were killed and 1,500 seriously injured in ATV accidents in Mississippi last year alone.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › ATV rollover claims another child’s life in Mississippi

Investigators at the scene said that the crash was likely the result of the front left tire coming off of Case’s vehicle. The tire disengagement apparently caused Case to run the ATV headlong into a tree. Authorities said that the boy was not wearing a helmet.

Case was rushed to South Williamson Appalachian Regional Hospital in South Williamson, Kentucky, where emergency physician Brandon Haake pronounced him dead.

Case attended Belfry High School in Belfry, Kentucky. According to the school principal, who spoke with the Williamson Daily News, Case was well liked by his fellow students.

“The young man was a senior and well liked at the school. I don’t know anyone who didn’t like Andy,” Principal Rod Varney told the Daily News.

“Any time you lose a student it’s devastating to the school. It is a difficult time for everyone,” Varney told the Daily News. “Somebody lost a child, somebody lost a friend and then we all lost a student.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Kentucky leads the nation in the number of ATV-related fatalities. The CPSC says that 367 ATV-related deaths were reported in Kentucky in 2006 alone, and incomplete numbers for the following years show that ATV fatalities continue to escalate. Tragically, about one-third of all the reported ATV deaths in Kentucky are children.

Pennsylvania, California, West Virginia, and Texas are other states with an unusually high rate of deaths caused by ATV accidents.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Kentucky teen dies in Christmas day ATV crash

In July 2008, Gillentine-Green pronounced the deaths of 20-year-old Crystal Hooper and her 5-year-old cousin Natalie Aguilar after the ATV they were on crashed. According to available reports, Hooper lost control of the ATV and ran into a trailer full of building supplies. Both Hooper and Aguilar sustained head injuries in the accident.

Mississippi remains one of the few states with almost no laws pertaining to the use of ATVs. As a result, the number of ATV-related injuries and deaths in Mississippi is three times higher than in most other parts of the country.

ATV deaths have been creeping upward in the state since 1981, but the numbers suddenly spiked in 2005. From then until 2007, the last statistically current year in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s data, 65 ATV-related deaths occurred, representing more than 25 percent of all the state’s ATV-related deaths since 1981.

According to state numbers, 29 people were killed and 1,500 seriously injured in ATV accidents in Mississippi last year alone.

A bill that would have encouraged ATV safety died in Mississippi’s last legislative session, but Republican State Representative Dannie Reed plans to reintroduce a similar bill in the upcoming session. The legislation would require all ATV drivers to wear helmets while driving on public land. Drivers also would have to meet the minimum age requirement for the vehicle and the number of passengers would be restricted. Ignoring the safety laws would cost $100 per violation.

“Mississippi has lost more people on ATVs than the state has lost soldiers to the Iraq war,” Reed told the Clarion-Ledger.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Mississippi coroner supports legislation governing ATV safety

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

Seven game wardens and other authorities from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Ellsworth Fire Department launched a search of Seymour’s hunting grounds that evening. A state trooper spotted Seymour’s truck parked on a rural road in the town of Ellsworth, allowing the search party to narrow its search in the broad region.

Game wardens discovered Seymour pinned underneath his ATV just before midnight. He was found dead at the scene, the victim of a rollover accident.

According to the Daily News, the Maine Warden Service said that Seymour had been riding on a steep trail with a granite edge when he apparently lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll over on top of him.

Alcohol was not believed to be a factor, according to the Daily News report. Seymour was not wearing a helmet, but reports do not say whether he died as a result of head injuries.

Like other states with large swaths of wilderness and several rural communities, Maine has seen a dramatic upswing in the number of ATV related deaths and injuries in recent years. The rise in the number of ATV accidents reflects a national trend that has prompted the U.S. Consumer Safety Products Commission to initiate the process of regulating all-terrain vehicles. The CPSC has stated that ATV manufacturers have failed to hold themselves to adequate safety standards, therefore creating the need for government regulation.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Maine hunter dies in ATV rollover

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Kentucky leads the nation in the number of ATV-related fatalities. Records compiled by the state and federal governments reveal a dramatic upward swing in the number of ATV deaths in recent years. For the 23-year period spanning 1982 to 2004, a total of 299 ATV deaths were reported statewide. However, in 2006 alone, 367 ATV deaths were reported in Kentucky, and incomplete numbers for the following years show that ATV fatalities continue to escalate.

Tragically, about one-third of all the reported ATV deaths in Kentucky are children. Kentucky law requires all children 16 years old and under to wear helmets while on an ATV, at all times, regardless of whether the ATV is on public or private land. For adults, helmet use is optional. Unfortunately, many parents continue to disregard the helmet law and seat restraints, which effectively make a deadly machine even deadlier in the event of a collision or rollover.

Counties in Kentucky reporting the most deaths are Pike, Breathitt, Floyd, Harlan, Letcher, Clay, Leslie, Pulaski, Bell, Laurel, Perry, Trigg and Whitley.

Also topping the CPSC’s list of states with the most ATV deaths were California, Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. ATV accidents are almost always higher in rural areas, where off-roading can be a way of life, whether for farm work, recreation, rural transportation, or all three.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Kentucky leads the nation in number of ATV deaths

According to KSL, an NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Olson hopped onto the back of a friend’s ATV last September and went for a ride. Her friend lost control of the vehicle, and in the accident, Olson, who was not wearing a helmet, struck her head.

Olson’s mother Kim Laird told KSL that emergency workers said her daughter had actually died at the scene. Olson spent nearly a month in a coma. Now, a year after the accident, she spends her days in rehab trying to relearn the basic, everyday functions that most people take for granted: walking, talking, eating, and even blinking, too.

“It injured the motor skills in the right side of her brain, that operates the opposite side of her body,” Laird explained to KSL. “I really do believe if she had a helmet on she would not be in the condition she’s in,” Laird said.

Olson warned other ATV and motorcycle riders to wear their helmets. “I’ve suffered enough. I wouldn’t want anyone to suffer as much as I have,” she told KSL.

Olson and her family hope for a full recovery from the debilitating effects of the traumatic brain injury. “I want to be … to get up, to go to my car and go to the mall and go shopping,” she told KSL.

The Utah Department of Health says that at the time of injury, only 29 percent of seriously injured Utahns under the age of 18 were wearing a helmet as state law requires. Utah law does not require people age 18 and older to wear helmets while operating or riding on an ATV.

For the full story and a video of Morgan Olson’s story, click here.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › Utah teenager injured on ATV urges others to wear helmets

According to Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Patrick Webb, both girls were wearing full-face helmets and were buckled in with seatbelts at the time of the accident. The girl who was driving was not injured and was able to run home for help, the Edmonton Journal said. RCMP authorities seized the ATV and deceased girl’s helmet. Autopsy tests haven’t been completed.

According to Sgt. Webb, the girls were traveling in a Polaris Ranger RZR, an offroad vehicle that is equipped with a roll cage.

Len Wagner, traffic safety coordinator for the Alberta Centre for Injury Control, told the Edmonton Journal that ATVs are “a way of life” in rural Alberta. Aside from a law prohibiting the driving of an ATV on public roads, the province of Alberta doesn’t have legislation that restricts ATV use on private property. Because children of any age can legally operate an ATV, many people, including parents, may interpret the lack of regulations to mean the vehicles are safe.

“She (the victim) wasn’t big, so did the seatbelt not work on (a person) her size? Did the helmet not work? We’ve got a lot of questions,” Webb told the Edmonton Journal.

Stettler County Council Joe Gendre, whose cousin died from injuries received in an ATV rollover, told the Journal that ATV rules are taken lightly by many people. He said the county designated an officer to patrol the lake district on an ATV because helmet, seatbelt, and registration laws are so often ignored.

SOURCE: Yamaha Rhino Rollover › ATV rollover kills six-year-old Alberta girl