All-terrain vehicles are causing catastrophic injuries to children and teenagers in the United States, a new study has found. According to an in-depth study conducted by the Campbell Clinic-LeBonheur Medical Center in Memphis, 28 percent of all ATV-related injuries in 2008 involved children younger than 16. There were an estimated 135,000 injuries for ATV riders of all ages. A majority of these ATV injuries were caused by the vehicle tipping or overturning. Many were also caused by improper use.

Injuries on the Rise

Consumeraffairs.com reports that ATVs have gained in popularity especially in states such as California where the weather is excellent year-round. What many fail to remember, however, is that ATVs are not toys. On the contrary, these are high-velocity machines that can weigh between 300 and 600 pounds and run on average between 25 and 60 mph. Some of these ATVs even reach speeds of 75 to 100 mph.

The Memphis clinic apparently treated 4,483 children in the United States who were injured in ATV accidents over several years. Of those children, 7.4 percent had spinal cord injuries. Also, 76 percent of the patients were male. Their average age was about 13 years. Doctors also noticed that there was a greater incidence of injuries when the ATVs could carry multiple riders.

Products Liability Issues

Yamaha Rhinos, the utility terrain vehicles that caused numerous injuries with their defective design, also featured high on this hospital's list of high-risk vehicles. Doctors say that the Rhino vehicles with well-known product defects posed a greater risk of limb amputation. Many victims who rode in these vehicles that can carry several passengers also suffered more broken bones compared with other single-rider ATVs.

Doctors are recommending that the government require a mandatory safety training session before these vehicles can be operated. It is important not only for young riders to get an education here, but also their parents. It is extremely important that parents realize that these are not vehicles anyone can drive. If your child does not have a driver's license and appropriate training to ride an ATV please do not allow him or her to ride one. If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, please contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer to get more information about your legal rights and options.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.

Doctors Say ATVs are Causing Serious Injuries to Children is a post from: Personal Injury Lawyer Journal

Amby Baby has issued a defective product recall for 24,000 of its motion bed hammocks intended for babies, after two infants suffocated to death. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, federal safety regulators say that the side-to-side tilting or shifting of the hammock can cause the infant to roll and become entrapped or wedged against the hammock's fabric or mattress pad. The manufacturer has so far received two reports of infant suffocation deaths. One occurred in June 2009, when a 4-month-old girl in Georgia died in the hammock and the other involved a 5-month-old boy from Oregon.

Defective Hammocks Sold Online

The recalled products consist of a steel frame and fabric hammock, which are connected by a large spring and metal crossbar. The beds, which were made in China, were sold only online at Ambybaby.com and other Internet retailers from January 2003 through October 2009 for about $250. Consumers who own these beds are asked to stop using them immediately and contact Amby Baby USA for a free repair kit.

My heart goes out to the families of these two babies who died as a result of this defective product. I offer my heartfelt condolences to these families. They will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Wrongful Death Lawsuits

This is only one of several product defect recalls involving baby beds. Over the last two years, millions of cribs and toddler beds have been recalled for suffocation risks. Several children have suffocated to death in these cribs, bassinets and now hammocks. Families of these victims will be entitled to file a wrongful death claim against the company, which sold these defective hammocks. In such cases, the claims could serve as a deterrent for other manufacturers and create awareness about these product defects while offering victims' families some monetary compensation for their devastating and irreparable loss.

A number of parents and family members who file wrongful death lawsuits, especially those involving product liability cases, say they file these claims so the defective product manufacturers are punished and other parents hopefully, won't have to go through what they went through. A reputed personal injury lawyer who has had success in handling products liability cases will be able to help the families of these victims pursue their legal rights.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.

Motion Bed Hammocks Pose Suffocation Hazard is a post from: Personal Injury Lawyer Journal

A 26-year-old Aliso Viejo man who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Riverside County has been identified as Matthew Davies. The Orange County Register reports that the accident occurred the morning of November 26, 2009 on the Ortega Highway in Lake Elsinore when Davies lost control of his motorcycle, went off the roadway and landed in a ravine. Davies was pronounced dead soon after the accident.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of young Matthew Davies for their tragic, heartbreaking and untimely loss. I offer my deepest condolences to him. His loved ones will certainly be in my prayers.

Riverside County Motorcycle Accidents

According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), one fatality and 11 injuries were reported in Lake Elsinore as a result of motorcycle accidents. Countywide, motorcycle accidents claimed 41 lives and caused 562 injuries in 2007.

It's not very clear based on this news report how or why this fatal motorcycle accident occurred. Apart from rider error, motorcycle accidents may be caused by a variety of factors including vehicle defects, mechanical malfunctions, dangerous roadways, weather conditions or another negligent driver. According to a commenter on the Register's Web site, on this particular day, there was debris on the highway where Davies was riding. Specifically, the commenter says, there were several opened cement bags that were strewn on the highway.

Who Should be Held Liable?

If this is indeed what caused Davies' fatal accident, the individual or entity that dropped this debris on the roadway may be held liable for the accident and resulting death. California law prohibits anyone from throwing or dumping matter on the highway. California Vehicle Code section 23112 (a) states: "No person shall throw or deposit, nor shall the registered owner or the driver, if such owner is not then present in the vehicle, aid or abet in the throwing or depositing upon any highway any bottle, can, garbage, glass, nail, offal, paper, wire, any substance likely to injure or damage traffic using the highway, or any noisome, nauseous, or offensive matter of any kind."

In cases where car accidents are caused by debris on the freeway, the negligent parties that were responsible for dropping the debris on the roadway can be held responsible. In such cases, victims would be well-advised to contact a reputed California personal injury lawyer who is experienced in handling such cases. In cases involving roadway debris, a knowledgeable injury lawyer will help secure compensation from the uninsured/underinsured motorist clause of the victim's own car insurance policy. A skilled car accident lawyer will also inform victims and their families how their car insurance policy will apply to accidents involving roadway debris.

We are not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call a reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free confidential consultation to "not a fault" persons named in this article and their family members.

Orange County Fatal Motorcycle Accident is a post from: Personal Injury Lawyer Journal