Las Vegas ATV Accident Lawyers
In Las Vegas, you don’t have to travel very far off the strip to get off the road as well. Adults and children of literally all ages can explore the desert hills, flats, mountains and valleys around Las Vegas on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), available for rent at over a dozen locations in and just outside of town. No driver’s license is required, and there are no traffic laws to follow. All you need is a sense of adventure and hopefully a dash of common sense about riding with regard for your safety and the safety of others.
While riding an ATV can be exhilarating, these are powerful machines, and lots of things can go wrong that can result in serious injury or death to riders, passengers, or people in their way. If you’ve been hurt in an ATV crash because of the negligence of a driver, passenger, rental company, or manufacturer of a defective ATV, Mainor Ellis Injury Lawyers is here to help you get the care and compensation you need and deserve. Contact our dedicated Las Vegas ATV accident lawyers today.
Facts About ATV Accidents
Experts in motor vehicle safety report 135,000 ATV injuries in the United States annually, and more than 700 deaths. Of those fatalities, over a third are younger than 16 years old. Apart from a rider’s age, factors like inexperience and recklessness are leading causes of ATV crashes, and these factors can be present in ATV operators of any age. Riders who are careless, reckless, speeding, inattentive, distracted, or driving while impaired can cause an accident, and in those cases, they can and should be held liable for the harm they have caused to accident victims, whether the injured parties were their passengers, occupants of another ATV, or people on the ground.
Apart from operator negligence, ATV rental companies often bear the blame for an ATV accident. A rental company’s culpable negligence could include renting a faulty vehicle, failing to provide proper instruction, or failing to provide necessary protective equipment. Although you might have signed a waiver of liability when renting the ATV, it’s worthwhile to talk to a lawyer after an accident, because a waiver might not always protect a rental company from their negligent acts.
Another leading cause of ATV accidents deals with dangerously defective ATVs. In these situations, the manufacturer, distributor, or reseller of the vehicle might bear legal responsibility for the accident. ATV product defects include both design and manufacturing defects, as well as marketing defects when the manufacturer does not adequately warn of the limits of the ATV or provide adequate instructions for safe use. Common ATV defects include problems with the brakes, engine, throttle, clutch, suspension, shifter, gas tank and fenders. The failure of any one of these parts could lead to a serious ATV accident.
ATV Accidents Can Cause Severe Injuries
If you aren’t already familiar with ATVs, you might be surprised to learn their speeds can top out at anywhere between 50 and 90 miles per hour, depending on engine size and other factors. They also weigh about 400 pounds on average and can be significantly heavier. Although fairly stable on level ground, ATVs can tip over on an incline due to reckless operation or product defects. An ATV rollover or tipover can cause severe injuries, including crushing bone fractures, internal damage, and spinal cord injuries. Burn injuries are also a risk in a crash from contact with hot engine parts and fluids or if a defective engine or gas tank catches fire or explodes.
Just about any injury imaginable is possible in an ATV wreck, and sadly children are the most common group of ATV users to get hurt. In these situations, it is essential to get legal help from experienced injury lawyers who understand the full implications of a severe injury on a victim and their family, including the present costs of the injury as well as its impact later in life.
Contact Mainor Ellis Injury Lawyers After a Las Vegas ATV Accident
At Mainor Ellis Injury Lawyers, we are committed to helping our clients get the care and compensation they need and deserve by holding responsible parties accountable for the full extent of damage they have caused. We have a record of obtaining high-dollar verdicts and settlements for injury victims in Las Vegas, and we’ll apply the same skills and determination to get a successful result for you too. Call our office in Las Vegas at 702-450-5000 for a free consultation so we can get started today helping you on your road to recovery.