California Injury Blog
A 10-year-old boy from Rialto died in a Riverside ATV accident after he fell out of a moving ATV in Reche Canyon the evening of April 26, 2009, according to a news Web site. California Highway Patrol officials said the fatal personal injury accident was reported on Reche Canyon Road near Smiley Boulevard close to Moreno Valley. It is not known whether the boy, who has not yet been identified, was driving or a passenger in the Polaris ATV. It is also not known whether he was wearing safety gear.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of the young boy for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved this child. Please keep them in your prayers.
Hundreds of young people, especially children 16 years or younger are catastrophically injured or killed in ATV accidents each year. According to a recent study done by the Children’s Hospital of Ohio, more than 136,000 people nationwide go to emergency rooms each year as a result of ATV accident related injuries. One-third of these crashes usually involve children who are 16 years old or younger.
From the news account of this particular fatal Riverside County ATV accident, it is not clear what caused it. There are many unanswered questions here. Who was driving the ATV? Was the child a passenger? Was he belted or was he wearing any safety gear during the ATV accident? Was he under adult supervision? If so, who was supervising him at the time? Was this Polaris ATV defective in any way? Answering these questions will help determine whether anyone’s negligence led to or caused this accident.
The family of this young ATV accident victim would be well advised to contact experienced California ATV accident attorneys, who will help them find answers to these troubling questions. We also recently reported on another ATV accident in San Diego involving a Polaris ATV. Between the years 2000 and 2008, Polaris has issued 16 recalls for many of its ATV models for various product defects ranging from engine overheating to loss of steering control. The best California product defect law firms will be able to have the vehicle examined for any product defects that may have caused this fatal accident.
This incident also serves as a reminder to us that children and ATVs do not go together. If your child cannot drive a car, he or she does not yet have the skill to drive an all-terrain vehicle. Please do not let your young children drive ATVs and if they ride along as passengers, please make sure that they are restrained and are wearing safety gear.