› $150,000,000 verdict in personal injury case
Yamaha Rhino safety upgrades urged by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission back in March weren’t enough to save the life of 13-year-old James Wyatt Spencer of Knox, N.Y., who died last week when the 450 he was driving rolled over.
Two more lawsuits have been filed against Yamaha Motor Co. for injuries sustained in Rhino rollovers. One lawsuit was filed by a woman on behalf of her son, a minor who was injured in March 2008 when the Rhino he was riding in flipped. The other suit was filed by a man who received serious injuries when the Rhino he was driving rolled over in May 2007. Both plaintiffs are residents of West Virginia.
A class action claim has been filed against Yamaha Motor Co. following the death of a 13-year-old Canadian boy who lost his life when the Rhino he was driving rolled over and crushed him. The class action claim has been issued with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for all Canadians who sustained personal injuries or loss of life while riding in a Rhino ATV.
A West Virginia couple has filed a lawsuit in their state court against the Yamaha dealership who sold them a Rhino 450 in May of 2007. According to the complaint, the couple bought a Rhino model not equipped with passenger doors and handholds. Just a few weeks later, in August, Yamaha Motor Co. offered to install aftermarket doors and handholds on any unequipped Rhinos free of charge in what was effectively the first Yamaha Rhino safety “recall.” When the couple contacted their dealer in September to have the upgrades installed, the dealer told them that an appointment wasn’t possible.
On April 1, the day that Yamaha Motor Co. announced its “voluntary repair campaign” for its Rhino UTVs, John and Tammy Sand received a phone call from the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission thanking them for their efforts in raising awareness about the dangers of the off-road vehicles.
Yamaha Motor Co. is being sued in Canada over the death of a 13-year-old boy who lost his life when the Rhino he was driving rolled over. Wyatt Bauer, a resident of Rimbey, Alberta, was on vaction with his family in 2007 when the accident occurred. Like many other Rhino victims before him, Bauer was crushed under the weight of the vehicle. His family is seeking $316 million in damages ($400 million CA). The lawsuit can proceed to trial once it has been certified by a judge as a class action.
