ATV Accident Lawsuit
Delivering compensation to victims
Clark Mason Attorneys have been involved in ATV accident litigation since the dangerous vehicles began hurting people in Arkansas and across the country. Our firm is committed to helping victims of ATV accidents receive compensation that fully covers the costs of their injuries and suffering. If you or a loved one has been hurt on a Rhino, you are not alone. Contact Clark Mason to file a Yamaha Rhino lawsuit.
Clark Mason has demonstrated his commitment to helping families recover from the tragic ordeal of being injured by a Yamaha Rhino. His record speaks for itself.
March 2009: Settlement awarded for severe injury
Dugal v. Yamaha
On March 13, 2006, Micah Seth Dugal was driving a 2005 Rhino on his family’s property outside Sheridan, Arkansas under supervision of an adult passenger. Seth was making a slow turn on the Rhino when the vehicle rolled over, crushing his left arm, and causing a degloving injury that literally stripped all the skin and muscles from his arm, leaving him without full use of his arm and without use of his hand. Even after immediate intervention from physicians at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and multiple surgeries, Seth’s arm remains extensively damaged and is permanently disfigured.
On behalf of Seth and his parents, Clark Mason attorneys filed suit against Yamaha in Grant County Circuit Court on Thursday, November 29, 2007, alleging the manufacturer, designers, developers and engineers who created the Rhino could easily have prevented such accidents by using a safer design for the ATV. The suit sought judgment for past and future medical expenses as well as damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and permanent scarring and disfigurement.
In March of 2009, Yamaha Motor Corporation agreed to settle the Dugal case for a confidential amount that will pay all of Seth’s outstanding medical obligations, which were substantial, cover Seth’s future medical treatment and therapy, and allow Seth’s parents to set aside funds to provide for Seth’s education through college and thereafter if he chooses, and likewise compensate Seth for his future loss of earnings due to his injuries and otherwise for the remainder of his life.
Current action for wrongful death
Estate of Christopher Thompson v. Yamaha
On June 23, 2008, Chris Thompson of White County, Arkansas was using a Rhino 660 while working for a local contractor involved in drilling natural gas wells in a grass field. Chris was driving the Rhino on a flat surface and was in the process of a turn at a slow rate of speed when the Rhino rolled over. The roll cage of the Rhino trapped Chris under the Rhino, landing on the back of his neck, crushing his neck and ultimately causing his death.
Chris’s needless death is another one of the many deaths associated with the Rhino, some of which were reviewed by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and leading to the recall by Yamaha of all Rhino vehicles and current retrofitting of Rhinos by Yamaha. Clark Mason Attorneys was recently hired by the family of Chris Thompson to pursue appropriate wrongful death claims against Yamaha under the laws of Arkansas.
Current action for catastrophic injury
Wells v. Yamaha
On March 7, 2008, Charlie Wells was driving a Yamaha Rhino 660 near the Wells’ home in Desha County, Arkansas. It was snowing at the time. Charlie was operating the Rhino on a flat surface and at a slow speed, and he was wearing his seat belts. Although driving on a flat surface and at a slow rate of speed, the Rhino’s front wheel rolled over a small bump under the snow. The Rhino immediately rolled over onto the driver’s side, pinning the left arm of Charlie Wells underneath. The crushing injuries caused by the Rhino to Charlie’s arm were so severe that—despite prompt medical attention—physicians were unable save it, resulting in a complete amputation of his left arm above the elbow.
Charlie’s life was forever changed due to the Yamaha Rhino’s propensity to roll over on a flat surface at a low speed. Clark Mason Attorneys filed a Yamaha Rhino lawsuit in Desha County Circuit Court on November 25, 2008 on behalf of Charlie and his wife Mary.
Filing class action and individual claims
The problems with Yamaha Rhinos are well-documented and resultant injuries and deaths are numerous. Clark Mason is ready to assess the details of your accident. He is prepared to represent an ATV accident lawsuit or individual claims.
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