Unfortunately, ATV accidents can lead to serious injuries and deaths each year. At of the end of 2013, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received reports of 13,043 ATV-related fatalities from 1982 to 2013. CPSC received reports of 426 ATV-related fatalities in 2013; 513 ATV-related fatalities in 2012; 620 ATV-related fatalities in 2011; and 656 ATV-related fatalities in 2010.
During 2013, there were nearly 100,000 estimated ATV-related injuries that required emergency room treatment. Nearly a quarter of ATV-related injuries treated in emergency rooms during 2013 received the diagnosis of a contusion, abrasion or fracture. Also during 2013, ATV-related injuries treated in emergency rooms impacted primarily the head or neck 29 percent of the time; arm from the shoulder down 28 percent of the time; torso 21 percent of the time; and leg 21 percent of the time.
Accidents involving ATVs can occur in different ways and be caused in different ways. One way that an ATV accident may occur is related to a defective ATV or defective ATV part. Products liability is an area of the law that helps ensure consumer safety and provide options to protect victims and families of a defective product that has caused injuries or death. Victims of ATV accidents and their families may suffer a variety of physical, financial and emotional damages and products liability protections seek to help victims receive compensation for the harm they have suffered.
Victims of ATV accidents may face an uncertain future as ATV injuries, such as brain and head injuries, can be serious and have a lasting impact on the lives of victims and their families. The loss of a loved one involved in an ATV accident also, of course, can leave families facing an uncertain future and have a lasting impact. As a result, victims and families should be aware of legal options and resources available to them when harmed.
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission, “2013 Annual Report of ATV-Related Deaths and Injuries,” Accessed Feb. 2, 2016