The four wheel, side by side Rhino manufactured by Yamaha Motor Corporation has become one of the most popular Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs) sold on the market in the U.S. and Canada. The Rhino seats the driver and passenger next to each other.
In accidents nationwide, Rhino riders have been killed or seriously injured. Many of the Yamaha deaths have been children. While every accident involving a Rhino can pose a risk of serious injury, when a child is riding, the injuries have often been more severe. In some accidents, children are thrown from the vehicle and have died from injuries where the ATV landed on them.
Lawsuits nationwide have been filed against Rhino charging that the Yamaha Rhino side by side contains multiple design flaws. The vehicle is unduly prone to rolling over even when driven on flat ground. The design flaws include a top-heavy design resulting in a high center of gravity, and a dangerously narrow track width.
In the wake of fatal accidents, Yamaha has recalled the Rhino. Yamaha has also agreed to make free repairs, which the Consumer Product Safety Commission determined was involved in more than 50 accidents, resulting in 46 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Yamaha will make the free repairs to models 450, 660, and 700 that will make them safer and less prone to rolling over.
If you have been injured in an accident involving a Yamaha Rhino, please call McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates, P.A. at 1-888-353-5513.
