Hundreds Suffer Injuries Due toYamaha Rhino Rollovers
A report by the Orange County Register states that the company Yamaha is facing hundreds of lawsuits as a result of several roll-over accidents that have occurred involving the company’s Rhino vehicle. The off-road vehicle, which resembles a large golf cart, has caused extremely severe injuries according to the lawyers of the victims in each incident. Broken arms, legs and amputations occurred as riders of the Rhino were crushed underneath the weight of the vehicle.
One of the most recent lawsuits filed involves Daniel Swainston, who was crushed by the vehicle and suffered a broken leg as a result. According to Swainston, the vehicle tipped over when he was driving at a low speed through the Sequoia National Forest. The initial accident occurred in 2006 and the trial will occur in November of this year. The report states Yamaha faces roughly 700 lawsuits as a result of the accidents involving this vehicle.
According to the report, Yamaha is being accused of quickly settling cases where there is significant evidence that the company was at fault for the accidents named in the cases. However, in cases where evidence explicitly shows the driver was at fault, the company is quick to allow these cases to go to court as a way of creating a façade that the company is a responsible company and the drivers of their vehicles are not. The lawsuits that this company faces are very similar to those that Toyota faces currently with their vehicles. If the accusation that Yamaha selects cases they can easily win is true, it demonstrates the company’s lack of responsibility in ensuring or even caring for their customer’s safety. It demonstrates that they would rather be quick to blame the consumer rather than take responsibility if the accidents are caused by a malfunction or defect in their vehicles.
