ATV Accident Death and Injury Statistics – Washington
With numbers in the tens of millions, ATV crashes have claimed the lives of over 11,000 people between 1982 and 2010 and continue to be the subject of pressing public health issues.
ATV Statistics
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, between 1982 and 2014, staggering 113,617 ATV-related deaths were reported. In 2013 there were 547 deaths, and in 2012 there were 574. Between the years 1982 and 2014, there were reportedly 3,098 ATV-related deaths of children under the age of 16 years, with 43 percent of that number being children under the age of 12. It has been estimated that in 2014 alone there were 93,700 ATV-related emergency room visits and between 2008 – 2011, 35 people died in ATV-related accidents in Washington.
Common ATV Defects
ATV defects can originate at any time of the production process. Many of these defects tend to occur during manufacturing and are usually a result of poor construction equipment or lack of adequate supervision. Often, manufacturing defects result in faulty parts that can malfunction or break during use, making the risk of injury and fire much higher.
Further, design defects involve poor blueprints with errors, which can be far more serious than manufacturing defects since issues in design can affect the entire line of products.
There is also “failure to warn defects” which describes the situation when a product has inadequate warning labels, or no warning labels whatsoever, even though there could be a variety of risks to using the ATV that consumers ought to be made aware of.
This year alone there have been several different ATV recalls due to poor construction and faulty parts posing serious fire hazards.
ATV Safety Laws in Washington
Mostly, ATV usage in Washington is unregulated. To drive an ATV on the highway or cross a highway, an ATV rider must be older than 13 years of age. On certain lands, riders who are younger than 13 have to be supervised by a licensed driver who is 18 years or older and has a valid driver’s license. Unless an ATV is used only for agricultural purposes, all riders are permitted to wear a helmet. That is the extent of safety statutes for ATVs in Washington.
Who is Liable for ATV Injuries and Deaths?
Determining liability for ATV accidents is a complex task. How an accident happens requires a great deal of close examination of the facts around it. There are times when liability can be placed on someone other than the ATV driver, especially when explosions and fires are the results of a manufacturing issue. Other parties that may be held liable in Washington, depending on the circumstances include:
- Manufacturers of a dangerously defective vehicle
- Negligent and careless ATV drivers
- Occupiers or owners of ATV parks or trails
Injuries that are suffered as a result of an ATV accident can be debilitating and severe, resulting in overwhelming rehabilitation and medical bills. There have been times when ATVs have exploded or caught alight on impact resulting in fatalities and manufacturers have been held responsible.