A New Year's Eve ATV accident tragically took the life of a 37-year-old North Las Vegas man, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department reported. The accident happened at about 10:00 p.m. on December 31, 2010, in the Dumont Dunes area of Rural Baker, Cactus Thorns reported. The victim was identified as Jesus Ruiz. According to reports, Ruiz lost control of a Polaris Razor in the open desert. The Razor overturned and Ruiz was ejected from the vehicle. Ruiz was pronounced dead at 10:30 p.m. The cause of the incident remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
ATV Rollover Accident and Wrongful Death Liability
Hundreds of people die each year in ATV accidents. Based on the news reports, it is unclear why Ruiz lost control of the vehicle, and there are many unanswered questions. Was Ruiz wearing any safety gear? How fast was the vehicle going when Ruiz lost control? Was the vehicle defective in any way? In the past decade, Polaris has issued more than a dozen recalls for its vehicles for various product defects. It is possible that a defect was a factor in this accident. If that was the case, Polaris could be financially liable for this accident. After an accident such as this one, the family members of the victim would be well-advised to contact a California wrongful death attorney about the accident. A lawyer can review the accident report by the CHP and if necessary, arrange to have the ATV examined for possible product defects that could have caused the victim to lose control and crash.
Sources: Cactus Thorns
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