Illinois ATV Accident Lawyers

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC represents adults and children who have sustained a serious injury in accidents involving all-terrain vehicle accidents in the Chicago area and across the State of Illinois.

Our law firm represents operators and passengers who suffered atv-related injuries due to:

• Dangerous conditions that a property owner never revealed that caused a vehicle to flip
• Inadequate supervision of children operating ATV's
• Poorly maintained recreational vehicles
• Defects with the ATV vehicles
• Failing to provide safety equipment such as helmets
• People hit by ATV's

If you or a family member sustained a severe injury in an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle, we invite you to contact our office for a free consultation. Our ATV accident lawyers, are committed to getting you the maximum financial compensation available for your injuries.

What is an ATV Under Illinois Law?

The term ATV is tossed around with such regularity that it sometimes can be confusing as to its meaning in the eyes of the law. Whether you call them sports bikes, four-wheeler, quad or mud bike states like Illinois define an all-terrain vehicle as:

(625 ILCS 5/1-101.8) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1-102.02)

"Sec. 1-101.8. All-terrain vehicle. Any motorized off-highway device designed to travel primarily off-highway, 50 inches or less in width, having a manufacturer’s dry weight of 900 pounds or less, traveling on 3 or more low-pressure tires, designed with a seat or saddle for operator use, and handlebars or steering wheel for steering control, except equipment such as lawnmowers."

This definition plays an important role in personal injury claims involving ATV accidents in order to determine coverage under available insurance policies. If you have questions about insurance coverage for an incident, we invite you discuss your situation with an ATV accident lawyer in our office who has experience with similar situations.

Sobering Safety Statistics Regarding Recreational Vehicle Accidents

Compared with virtually any other recreational activity, statistics tell us that children and adults are more apt to suffer an injury of a significant nature such as a traumatic brain injury, fractured bones, paralysis, or even death. Today we are seeing more injuries from recreational vehicle accidents than we have seen in the past. Below are some statistics verifying this trend.

• Over the last decade, more than 100 children have died every year in ATV accidents in the United States.
• In 2015, 37,700 children were injured severely enough to require emergency room treatment related to ATV rollovers and crashes according to data from the U.S. Consumer product safety commission.
• More than 9.5 million 4-wheel ATVs were in use in 2012, and the number of such vehicles in use continues to grow at more than 10% annually.

Adult Supervision & Other Safety Precautions Needed For Children To Stay Safe On ATV’s

Adults allowing a child to ride an ATV under their supervision have a legal responsibility to implement common-sense precautions to ensure the safety of riders, passengers, and spectators alike. Implementing these precautions can go a long way towards reducing the number of accidents and their severity.

• Provide a safe area for children to operate their vehicle
• Provide instruction on usage
• Provide safety equipment (helmets and pads)
• Maintain equipment
• Only use in areas where you are familiar with the terrain
• Use machines appropriate for the child’s age and size

When adults fail to uphold their responsibilities and a child sustains an ATV injury, there may be a potential case against them. There may very well be liability insurance to cover the loss, especially if the injury occurs at a person’s home, business, or camp.

ATV Accidents Related To Defects In The Design & Manufacturing Of The Machine

Other types of ATV injuries may be due to poorly designed or manufacturing defects. In these cases, a product liability case may be pursued against the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of the vehicle for the resulting injuries or death.

While some product liability cases involving all-terrain vehicles may involve well-known defects that were readily identified by the manufacturer or through product recalls other product liability cases involving defective vehicles may not be apparent until the vehicles have been in use for some time.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC takes product defect cases seriously and regularly works with experts in the fields of design and engineering to assist in proving our clients’ cases.

Time Constraints To File An Illinois Recreational Vehicle Accident Lawsuit

The time for filing a lawsuit involving an injury case is governed by the applicable statute of limitations. While most Illinois personal injury cases are governed by a two-year statute of limitations, the time for filing a case involving a dangerous product may vary depending upon the circumstances involved including the basis for the lawsuit, age of the injured party, and date that the vehicle was sold.

Be sure to consult with an experienced recreational vehicle accident attorney early after an incident to protect your legal rights.

Attorneys working to protect victims of ATV rollovers and other types of off-road injuries

The Illinois ATV accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has represented children and adults injured in ATV crash. Our firm is committed to getting you compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and any ongoing disability. In most situations, we can resolve your case with the insurance company for the ATV owner under their homeowners or business policy. If we cannot resolve the case, an experienced Illinois ATV accident lawyer will file a lawsuit.

Don’t fight insurance companies on your own. You owe it to yourself — and your family — to maximize your recovery for injuries sustained in an ATV accident. We can help.

Resources for ATV accident prevention:

ATVriders.com

ATV Safety Information Center

Recalled Products: All Terrain Vehicles