At RG Injury Law, our ATV lawyers in Lancaster County, PA, provide effective legal counsel for people (children and adults) injured in ATV accidents (all-terrain vehicles), often called quads or 4 wheelers, and even snowmobile accidents. ATV accident injuries can be severe or even be a cause of death, sometimes wrongful death. While ATV quad accidents can occur for many reasons, often they are the result of carelessness, recklessness, and negligence during recreational use.

Pennsylvania has the third highest ATV rider accidental death rate in the country. (Read about these terrible statistics and safety recommendations at the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s ATV  Safety Information Center.) In 2020, only 2% of fatally injured ATV riders wore helmets. According to IIHS (1), among ATV riders killed in single-vehicle crashes in 2020, 64 percent involved the ATV rolling over during the crash. This was comparable with SUVs, pickups, and large trucks, but higher than cars (42 percent).

ATV quad owners and riders should practice safety and ensure that riders are well-trained, responsible, mature, and old enough to operate a motor vehicle. We encourage our friends in the community who drive quad vehicles to take an ATV safety course and ALWAYS wear a motorcycle or certified helmet, even a face shield or goggles to protect your eyes from low branches in the woods. Young riders have the highest incidence of accidents and death from 4-wheeler accident injuries, especially when driving adult-sized ATVs, so children should have adult supervision. More accidents also occur when ATV drivers have a passenger. Too often alcohol or drugs are involved when people are enjoying a carefree day outdoors and not thinking about the risks of intoxicated ATV driving.

We’ve heard about cases of a young rider flipping an ATV on top of a rider up in the mountains out of cell phone range. There have been local cases where children and adults have been seriously injured when driving on unknown rough terrain, some even dying as a result of their four-wheeler crashes. Wet, icy, treacherous conditions should be avoided by drives. We encourage all riders to let someone know where you’ll be riding and let someone know your plans. Many people don’t know that many ATVs should not be driving on paved roads because of a lack of steering control and the risk of colliding with motor vehicles sharing the road is high.

Snowmobile accidents occur for similar reasons, but also include speed and driving over water that is not fully frozen.

We encourage everyone to use caution when driving or allowing your children to drive quad vehicles. But also, protect yourself from premises liability with accidents occurring on your property with riders using your ATV. Take precautions to make sure the land being used is free of hazards so that you don’t end up regretting a riders’ accidents.

Even after you take every precaution, serious accident injuries and wrongful deaths can still occur because of product failure, negligence, carelessness, and premises that are not properly maintained. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident and your medical bills are mounting, give our attorneys a call if another person is at fault and you need compensation for the cost of your (or their) injuries.

We encourage people who have been injured in a PA ATV accident to reach out to our legal team and talk with our personal injury attorneys at no cost. We never pressure people to become clients, treat you with respect and compassion, and charge nothing to consult with our experienced attorneys. You’ll get our full attention and quick response throughout your case and pay no fee unless we recover money for you. Call Chad Rankin or Bill Gregory at 717.656.5000 as soon as possible after your injury occurs to ensure the highest compensation possible.

(1) The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage from motor vehicle crashes through research and evaluation and through education of consumers, policymakers and safety professionals.