Six People Survive 700-foot Fall in ATV Crash
Miraculously, six people were able to survive an ATV crash that caused them to plummet over seven-hundred feet down a cliff in a Massachusetts state park. All six riders, ages twenty-seven through twenty-nine, were rescued thanks to a rescue effort consisting of more than fifty people working for over four hours using ropes to scale down the cliff and pull the victims back up. The cause of the crash is still reportedly unclear, but ATV riding is prohibited in the park.
As spring approaches and favorable weather arrives, any Tennesseans will take to their ATV’s to enjoy the outdoors, especially in areas like East Tennessee, where the terrain is varied and ATV riding is extremely popular. Although ATV-riding can be a lot of fun, operators of such vehicles should take care not to avoid one of the several methods of negligent driving that often occurs on such vehicles and can lead to injuries. For example, many ATV riders allow passengers to ride with them despite warnings on the vehicle itself to the contrary. Doing so could result in personal injury liability for the driver should the passenger be injured as a result of crashing the ATV, especially if the passenger was a minor or other party who was not aware of the risk they are assuming by riding as a passenger. Also, many ATV riders do what the parties in the above scenario did by riding where riding is prohibited or driving unsafely in an area with which they are not familiar. If riding is prohibited in an area, it very well may be because the area is too dangerous for riding because the terrain may be dangerous (e.g., there may be a 700-foot cliff). Choosing to ride in this area can be dangerous and in some situations may give rise to personal injury liability if one rider operates his or her ATV negiligently given the circumstances and injures another rider.
ATV-riding is an extremely popular in Tennessee, and is a great way to enjoy the outdoors when done safely. Negligent operation of an ATV often leads to injuries and can lead to a personal injury lawsuit if riders are injured by the negligence of other riders. Tennesseans who have been injured as a result of ATV negligence should contact an experienced personal injury attorney today.
Source: http://news.findlaw.com/ap/other/1110/04-05-2010/20100405102009_27.html
