Fourwheelers, also known as ATVs or all-terrain vehicles, are used both for recreation and practical purposes by many people in Missouri. While a source of fun and practical utility, fourwheelers can also cause serious injuries and even death when defective or utilized by operators who are not equipped to handle the vehicles. At the Johnson Law Firm, our experienced personal injury attorneys are prepared to provide top-quality legal representation for you and your loved ones after a fourwheeler accident. Call or contact the office today to learn more. 

Defective Fourwheeler Vehicles

Many ATV accidents occur every year because of defective vehicles. A manufacturing or design defect in a critical part of a fourwheeler vehicle can result in a catastrophic accident when out on open terrain. A design defect occurs when there is a flaw in the idea behind a part of the equipment on an ATV, whereas a manufacturing defect occurs during the process of creating an otherwise sound element in the factory or during transport. 

The designer, manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of defective fourwheelers can all be held liable for accidents that result from a defective product. In addition, these parties may also be held liable if the ATV is not defective but there are inadequate warnings about how to use the product safely. In cases of defective products or a failure to warn, the parties involved are often held strictly liable for any accidents and injuries that result.

Reckless Driving

Reckless driving also causes many injuries and deaths in fourwheeler accidents every year. Inexperienced operators and children too young to legally drive fourwheelers injure many passengers and riders on other vehicles in collisions and other accidents while on ATVs. Reckless driving on fourwheelers also leads to many crashes due to speeding, riding over dangerous terrain, taking turns too hard, or failing to look out for other ATVs or objects in one’s path. Negligent and reckless drivers, and their parents if the operators were minors, may be held liable for any injuries that result from these types of accidents.

Hazardous Property Conditions

Finally, property owners may also be held liable for fourwheeling accidents when they knew or should have known that hazardous conditions on their premises would make it likely that an accident would occur during ATV use on their property. Premises owners and managers have a duty to warn guests or customers of any dangerous conditions, including people on their property for the purposes of fourwheeling. Failure to do so, which then leads to a serious accident and injuries, could render them liable under Missouri premises liability laws. To learn more about who may be liable in your fourwheeling accident case, talk to an experienced Missouri personal injury attorney today.

Call or Contact Our Office Now

If you or a loved one has been injured in a fourwheeling accident in Missouri, call the office or contact us at the Johnson Law Firm in Saint Peters today to schedule a free consultation of your case with one of our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys.