Kelly Moore: ATV Accident Lawyer Grantsville Utah

Grantsville, Utah, in Tooele county, is 24 miles W of West Valley City, Utah and 339 miles NE of Las Vegas, Nevada. Grantsville was originally founded as Twenty Wells in 1848. It was renamed Willow Creek in October 1850. The name of the city was changed to Grantsville after George D. Grant, a military leader who controlled the hostile Native Americans in the area. The city was incorporated on January 12, 1867.

Grantsville and nearby Attractions

• Donner – Reed Pioneer Museum
• Barrick Mining Museum
• Stansbury Park Golf Course
• Tooele City Railroad Museum
• Antelope Island State Park
• Fort Douglas

Things to Do In Grantsville

One can visit the Grantsville Fort Historic Marker while staying in the city. The Donner-Reed Pioneer Museum, the Tooele City Railroad Museum, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum and the Barrick Mining Museum are in the area as well. The Beehive House and Fort Douglas are also worth visiting. One can enjoy horseback riding, camping, and hiking, swimming and biking at the Antelope Island State Park.

Grantsville is the second largest city in Tooele County and is noteworthy for both the number and excellence of its horses and cattle, which at one time were important means of bringing much wealth into the city. Large tracts of desert land still provide grazing in the winter for livestock, and majestic homes are still standing from the earlier period of prosperity. Located thirty-three miles southwest of Salt Lake City in Tooele Valley, Grantsville is bordered on the south by South Mountain, which divides Rush Valley from Tooele Valley; it is bordered on the west by the Stansbury Range, and to the north by Stansbury Island, both named for Captain Howard Stansbury, an early government surveyor. Across the valley floor east lies the Oquirrh Mountains. A popular grazing area for the herds of Salt Lake Valley stockmen, including Brigham Young, in 1848 the ground on which Grantsville now stands was occupied by a herd house. Thomas Ricks and Ira Willis were in charge at Twenty Wells; but when more permanent dwellings were built by the families of James McBride and Harrison Severe in October 1850, the site was named Willow Creek. Finally, the name was changed to Grantsville in honor of George D. Grant, leader of a military force sent to control hostile Native Americans. The city’s wide main street is bordered by tall, lovely trees; but her rural lanes once lined with Lombardy poplars are dying out now that the once-filled irrigation ditches have been replaced by sprinkling systems. The climate is mild; a very deep accumulation of snow is prevented because of its proximity to the Great Salt Lake. The average summer high temperature is in the 80s; the average summer low is in the 50s; the average winter high is in the 40s; and the average winter low is in the 20s. The average water year rainfall is 11 inches of precipitation.

ATV Investigation Checklist

Successful ATV cases are based on careful preparation. This checklist can help ensure a thorough preliminary investigation.
• Review client interview and file materials.
• Meet with principal lawyer and put together a blueprint for the investigation. Discuss theories, defendants, and anticipated problem areas.
• Locate and fully identify the ATV and all attendant parts and accessories, including damaged and replaced parts. Purchase the vehicle if it is not owned by the injured riders. Store the machine and parts in a safe and secure place.
• Photograph the ATV, including all warning labels and identification plates.
• Locate, identify, and secure the rider’s helmet and other safety gear and all safety gear product documents.
• Obtain and secure all product documents-advertising materials, labels, instructions or warnings, bill of sale, warranties, and operator’s manual.
• Trace the vehicle’s maintenance and repair history and obtain copies of all invoices.
• Document all pre- and post-accident modifications to the ATV.
• Obtain product documents on all optional equipment added to the vehicle before and after the injury.

• Inspect and photograph any other vehicle involved in the accident.
• Inspect and photograph the accident scene (in the presence of the plaintiff or a key witness if possible). Take detailed measurements. Obtain aerial photographs if possible.
• Identify and photograph all warnings and posted markers at the scene.
• Decide whether to have the scene surveyed.
• Map the scene.
• Obtain contour and topographic maps if available.
• Determine whether the accident site is frequented by ATV riders. If so, videotape others traversing the same terrain.
• Consider videotaping a reconstruction of the accident at the exact accident site.
• Consider canvassing the area for potential witnesses.
• Obtain copies of all reports from all entities that investigated the accident. (These may include but are not limited to law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, landowners, the U.S. Forest Service, the manufacturer; the CPSC, and the coroner.)
• Get complete statements from all investigators.
• Get copies of all statements and photographs taken in the course of the above investigations.
• Get statements and “trip reports” from emergency vehicle medical personnel.
• Check with emergency, medical personnel, law enforcement agencies, and newspapers for photographs of the accident.
• Get copies of all written or recorded statements that were given by the plaintiff.

• Get a copy of the plaintiff’s driving history from the appropriate state agency.
• Get relevant records of the plaintiff’s criminal history, if any.
• Get relevant records regarding any prior claims or lawsuits in which the plaintiff has been involved.
• If towing was involved, get statements from the person who towed the ATV from the accident site.
• Get statements from all others injured in this occurrence, all eyewitnesses, and any other people who may have pertinent information on this accident.
• Get statements from everyone involved in instructing the plaintiff how to operate the MW and any other people the plaintiff has taught to operate ATVs.
• Attempt to get a statement from the salesperson who sold the ATV.
• Consult your expert to determine if any repairs or maintenance could have been a factor in the accident. Decide whether to get statements from individuals who have performed service or maintenance work on this vehicle.
• Consider obtaining and photographing promotional materials from the dealer.
• Consider investigation to deter-mine dealer sales techniques, availability of rider training, manufacturer’s position regarding hazards, claims made in advertising copy, etc.
• Obtain copies of any instructional materials to which the plaintiff was exposed, including but not limited to tapes from the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, an industry body that is headquartered in Irvine, California.

ATV Accidents and a Major Cause of Injury and Death in Grantsville

More than twenty years after a U.S government safety agency declared ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) and ROVs (recreational off-highway vehicles) “imminent hazards,” questions remain about the stability and safety of certain models. ATV accidents are preventable, though number in the tens of thousands. As of December 31, 2014, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received reports of 13,617 ATV-related fatalities occurring between 1982 and 2014. An estimated 700 ATV related deaths occur each year, many of them preventable. ATV accidents are responsible for over 300 deaths in Utah alone in the last 10 years.

All-terrain vehicles accidents are responsible for hundreds of deaths just in Utah. Typical injuries may involve the vehicles instability. Certain models manufactured by Polaris Industries have safety risks that go beyond rollover accidents, including severe fire and burn risks that have injured hundreds of consumers. In one high-profile ATV recall and accident report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) charged that Polaris received information that their RZR model could catch fire, posing fire and burn hazards to drivers and passengers. Despite having this information that the RZRs contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard and risk of serious injury of death, Polaris failed to immediately notify the CPSC of the defect as required by federal law. By the time Polaris reported the defect, it had received reports of 150 fires, including one that resulted in the death of a 15-year old passenger, 11 reports of burn injuries, and a fire that destroyed ten acres of land. Following an ATV accident and injury, if the vehicles are found to have a faulty design or missing safety features, victims and their attorneys can file claims against Polaris or other ATV manufacturers.

Causes of ATV Accidents

Despite manufactures’ assurances on safety, rollovers are the most common cause of an ATV-related injury. A rollover can be a frontal rollover, side rollover, or rear rollover. Each type of rollover is equally as dangerous, and may result in the driver being thrown from the vehicle or being crushed. Among ATV riders killed in single-vehicle crashes in 2014, 64 percent involved the ATV rolling over during the crash. Rollovers are especially common when driving an off-road vehicle on a paved surface. This makes sense because ATVs and ROVs are designed for off-road terrains. At least 900 deaths over a four-year period were related to ATVs being ridden on paved roads or parking lots. ATV tire blow outs are also a common cause for injury. Any tire issue creates an extremely dangerous circumstance. Blow outs result in loss of control and vehicle rollover. Common causes of ATV tire blow out include:
• Defective design
• Incorrect air pressure
• Improperly mounted tire
• Improperly mounted rim
Other common causes for accidents include the following:
• Poor driver training
• Negligent entrustment by owner
• Poorly maintained trails
• Inadequate manufacturer safety instructions
• Brake failure

Deaths of ATV riders on public roads have increased more than nine-fold since 1982. These statistics don’t include most accidents, which occur off road. As of August 13, 2016, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) said it has documented 335 fatalities this year involving what it calls “off-highway vehicles.” That represents a 10 percent increase over last year at this time. In 2014, there were an estimated 93,700 ATV-related emergency department-treated injuries in the United States. Many of these injuries were quite serious and resulted in death. The most serious injuries included:

• Spinal cord injury
• Crush injury
• Burn injury
• Orthopedic trauma
• Traumatic brain injury
• Wrongful death
• Amputation

ATV Accident Lawsuits

If you have had an accident with an ATV, please contact an experienced attorney. It is critical that the accident scene and vehicle in question are preserved for an adequate investigation.

Do I need insurance for my ATV?

• State laws differ, but generally speaking, you must have insurance on your ATV if you ride anywhere besides private land
• 4-wheelers are NOT fully covered under your homeowner’s insurance plan
• There is a wide range of options to choose from when picking your ATV insurance plan
• If you race ATVs or use them in business ventures, you need a special type of insurance plan

Do I need to have insurance for my 4-wheeler if I am going to ride it on public land?

Although many states don’t require your 4-wheeler to be insured if ridden on private property, the rules are completely different if you plan on driving your ATV on state-owned land or a public park. You will be required to at least carry liability insurance if riding on public land and in some states you may be required to carry more coverage than just that. If you need to get insurance for your ATV or 4-wheeler it is probably not going to be through your homeowner’s policy but through a stand-alone ATV insurance product much like car insurance.

What sorts of coverage can I get or need for my ATV or 4-wheeler?

Here are the types of coverage you may want to consider when buying a 4-wheeler:
• Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability: This will cover the cost incurred with damaging property or injuring a person.
• Comprehensive & Collision Coverage: This coverage will protect you in the event that your 4-wheeler gets into an accident with another object or vehicle. It takes care of any non-vehicular incidents that caused damage to your 4-wheeler – fire, theft, vandalism, and collision with an animal.
• Medical Payments Cover: This is a good type of cover to have because it provides compensation for the medical services given to you after being hurt in a 4-wheeler accident, regardless of who is at fault.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Again, like car insurance, if you have the unfortunate fate to get into a terrible accident where the other motorist either has minimum coverage or no insurance coverage at all, this type of cover provides you peace of mind that you are covered.
• Accessory and/or Safety Apparel Coverage: This protects all electronic equipment and gadgets as well as upgrades installed in your 4-wheeler apart from the factory-installed ones. Also, trailer, covers, helmets, and other safety apparel or accessories related to your 4-wheeler would be covered.

Grantsville Utah ATV Accident Attorney Free Consultation

When you or someone you love has been injured in an ATV Accident in Grantsville Utah, please call Ascent Law LLC for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.