NOVEMBER 6, 2008 – Police reported a 16-old-boy suffered serious injuries after he was struck by a car on Avenida de las Vistas Thursday morning. The South Bay pedestrian accident occurred at about 6:45 a.m. near Vista Santo Domingo in Ocean Crest. The boy reportedly suffered serious head injuries from the car’s windshield, which was shattered in the crash.  Police reported the boy was flown to a trauma center for treatment.  

NOVEMBER 6, 2008 — Javier Medrano, 20, was pronounced dead at 8:16 a.m. Thursday, from severe head injuries resulting from a Hidden Meadows auto accident on Tuesday, November 4.  Police reported that Medrano had been driving south on North Centre City Parkway in Hidden Meadows Tuesday evening at about 6:15 p.m., when he veered into the northbound side of the road and struck another vehicle head-on.  The driver of the other vehicle, Kathleen Joy Powell, of Valley Center, died at the scene of the crash.  Medrano was flown to Palomar Medical Center, where he died this morning. The medical examiner’s office reported an autopsy was scheduled for Friday.  

NOVEMBER 6, 2008 – Bloomberg News reported yesterday that the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) is looking into the safety of the Yamaha Rhino, and other similar recreational off-road vehicles, including  the Polaris Razor, the Honda Big Red, Kawasaki Mule, and Arctic Cat Prowler. The news of the investigation comes after reports of more than 30 fatalities involving these vehicles. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Yamaha Rhino was the focus of the investigation. 

One such Yamaha Rhino fatality accident was on October 18, 2008, when two 11 year old girls were killed when a 2005 Yamaha Rhino rolled on a paved, flat road in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

The Yamaha Rhino, a sort of hybrid between a larger utility vehicle, a golf cart, and smaller recreation vehicles, is not subject to standards of traditional ATVs because it has a steering wheel instead of handle bars. Passengers on a Yamaha Rhino sit side-by-side.

Since the Yamaha Rhino was released in 2003, there have been several hundred lawsuits filed by injured riders and family members in wrongful death cases. Although Yamaha has mailed warning stickers to owners to be placed on vehicles, they have not recalled the Rhino.  Yamaha contends the Rhino vehicles are safe as long as they are used responsibly.

Estey & Bomberger, LLP is a personal injury law firm with offices throughout the state of California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of off-road ATV accidents and auto accidents. If you would like a free consultation with a personal injury attorney, please call us at (800) 672-1036 or contact us online.