It is common to see all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) used for recreational purposes in Florida. They are similar to motorcycles, so an accident with an ATV can turn out to be just as devastating. When riding an ATV, there is often minimal protection, resulting in serious and life-threatening injuries.
If you have been involved in an ATV accident in Florida, you may be entitled to compensation. Today, we will share our brief guide to Florida ATV accidents so you know what to do and what you can expect if you choose to file a personal injury claim following the accident.
Some of the more common causes of ATV accidents include inexperienced operation, operating the ATV at unsafe speeds, having a child operate an ATV designed for adult use only, operating on busy or paved roads, and driving under the influence.
Additionally, inattentive driving, malfunctioning parts, and having multiple passengers on an ATV designed for one person can also spell disaster.
Some of the more common injuries one may sustain as the result of an ATV accident include:
• Bone fractures
• Head injuries
• Back injuries
• Neck Injuries
• Brain Injuries
• Paralysis
• Lacerations
Florida is actually one of the top states when it comes to the high number of ATV accidents there are that involve fatalities.
Children, for example, should never be permitted to ride an ATV without any specialized training, and they should never operate an ATV designed for adults. When riding an ATV, everyone should also wear the right protective equipment at all times. This includes a helmet, goggles, and gloves.
Most traffic laws don't apply to off-road areas where you would usually operate an ATV, but a duty of responsibility still needs to be met. If you are injured in an ATV accident that was caused by the negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation.
If the injured person crosses what is known as the personal injury threshold and they have the permanent loss of a bodily function, a permanent injury, disfigurement, scarring, or death, then the claim can be filed against the at-fault party.
Other parties that may be liable include the driver and the owner of the ATV. If the ATV malfunctions, the manufacturer or retailer may also be held liable because of the defective product.
• All related medical expenses
• Long term care or rehabilitation
• Specialized medical equipment
• Lost wages and the loss of future earnings
• Lost benefits
• Emotional distress
• Pain and suffering
If you have been involved in an ATV accident in Florida, do not hesitate to discuss your case with a qualified personal injury attorney who can help you tackle the challenges that may come your way when filing a compensation claim.
Daniel Murphy Mar/09/2022
All-terrain vehicles (ATV) can take you from tarmac to trail and back again with ease, making these fast vehicles an ideal way to enjoy Texas’ beautiful vistas.
However, as with any vehicle, there’s always the risk that your next ride could end in disaster. Accidents involving ATVs aren’t uncommon in the state, and riders often suffer catastrophic injuries.
Fortunately, if you were injured on the road, you may be able to recover compensation for your losses by filing a personal injury claim. However, the success of your case will often hinge on the actions you take immediately after the wreck. The wrong steps could trip you up and leave you unable to recover compensation.
Let’s look at a few steps you should always take after an accident:
Documenting the wreck is an important step that could translate into success during the claims process. Start by using your phone to take pictures of the vehicles involved, your injuries, street signs, and any other elements of the accident scene that could help your attorney or an accident reconstructionist determine what happened.
Additionally, if anyone saw the collision take place, their accounts could help corroborate your version of events.
Take down their names and contact details to share with your lawyer. If you spotted surveillance cameras nearby, or someone captured footage of the accident on their vehicle’s dashcam, such evidence could also help prove liability.
Even if you were able to stand up after the accident, you should still schedule a doctor’s appointment immediately. It’s possible that you suffered a serious impact injury that has yet to manifest any symptoms. Left unchecked, such conditions could worsen, leading to additional health complications that could’ve been avoided had you undergone a comprehensive medical assessment. However, seeking treatment is about more than just taking care of your health; a prompt diagnosis could also make it easier for you to tie your injuries to the wreck and avoid disputes over failure to mitigate damages.
As the world has embraced a new digital way of life, insurers have also changed the way they investigate claims.
No longer are investigations restricted to the real world with claims adjusters now routinely monitoring claimants’ social media feeds for evidence that could be used to lodge disputes. As such, anything you post online could be used to challenge your credibility. If you are not able to deactivate your accounts, you should refrain from using social media for the duration of the proceedings.
If the insurer reaches out to you for a recorded statement, you should postpone this interview until a later date. Until you’ve had a chance to investigate the wreck and assess your damages, it’s possible you may say something inaccurate or untrue, handing ammunition to the claims adjuster to challenge your case. When you hire an attorney to handle your claim, he or she can oversee all correspondence with the insurer and other opposing parties so you won’t have to worry about saying something that could hurt your case.
Were you injured in an ATV accident? Turn to the attorneys at Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP to discuss your options.
Our award-winning trial attorneys know what it takes to succeed in even the most complex cases. We can review your situation as part of a free consultation. Dial 1-800-334-3298 or fill out our contact form HERE to request a case review with an ATV accident lawyer.
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In the photo, which was at the disposal of the editors, there are two ATVs on the road going through the forest. Two people, presumably girls, lie on the ground. Two more - presumably young people - in unnatural poses after the impact lie on the ATV.
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Police are on the scene. The regional police headquarters promised to comment on the situation based on the results of the investigation.
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According to the public of Verkhnyaya Sysert, the riders are really teenagers. The accident itself happened around 4 am.
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It also became known that a girl survived the accident.
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The news has already caused a great response. E1.RU users are discussing the causes of the tragedy. “They just walked on a level and the wheels got bitten, it shook, and the meat grinder grew together. Maybe they weren’t going fast, but still something bad happened,” user rgd 5 suggests.
No official data yet.
It should be noted that in the Upper Sysert region there are many elite villages and recreation centers, so riding ATVs is not a novelty here.
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Two young men and two girls were killed, eyewitnesses report.
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More photos from the accident scene from our reader.
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As Life.ru writes, according to preliminary information, the crashed ATVs belonged to Maxim Shchibrik, vice-president of the Russian Copper Company holding for finance. Among those killed in the accident was his daughter.
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In the sanatorium "Luch" located near the accident site, they specified that the guys were not their guests.
We spoke to a local resident who saw the accident first. It all happened early in the morning.
- Saw two ATVs colliding. At first I thought that there was antifreeze on the road, I took a closer look and realized that it was blood,” a local resident said.
Immediately after what he saw, he called an ambulance and the traffic police.
According to him, the dead were three girls born in 1996 and one guy, presumably of the same age. Another girl is in intensive care. That is, all participants in the accident were about 22 years old.
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The ATVs have already been removed from the scene of the accident.
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Other sources - despite the fact that the person who discovered the accident says that 3 girls died - report two dead girls and two dead young men.
They say they celebrated bachelor's diplomas that they had just received at UrFU...
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The E1.RU source reports that the guys on ATVs argued which of them would turn away first, because of this, a collision occurred. But this information has not yet been officially confirmed.
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At the moment, it is known for sure that four people died in the accident - two girls and two guys.
Another participant in the accident received a concussion and bruises, she is conscious.
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The accident happened at 2:20 at night. We were told about this by the doctors of the hospital where the surviving girl is now lying. Her name is Ekaterina.
We were not allowed into the ward where she is now.
- We have a nap hour now. In the morning, the traffic police inspector interviewed the victim, and psychologists also worked with her. Her life is not in danger. Now the girl is resting, her attending physician told E1.RU.
One of the relatives, who is now near the ward, told our reporter about the circumstances of the accident. According to him, Ekaterina was third on the ATV and did not hold on to anyone. This saved her from death. After the collision, she was thrown into the bushes.
- All the dead are 21-22 years old. They celebrated the defense of their diploma at UrFU,” our interlocutor said.
Our interlocutor also confirmed the previously voiced version that the ATVs were driving towards each other. The guys argued who would turn it off first.
He also confirmed that one of the dead was the daughter of Maxim Shchibrik, Liza.
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On the speedometer of one of the ATVs, the arrow froze at over 100 kilometers per hour.
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It has been confirmed that Liza Shchibrik, a graduate of the UrFU and the daughter of a top manager of RCC, has died. Her friends told about it. The girl was fond of equestrian sports, but she also rode ATVs. Lisa's accounts already have comments "Blessed Memory".
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According to preliminary information, three more UrFU graduates — Ivan, Sergey and Sonya — died in this accident.
We are verifying this information, so we do not publish names yet.
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As a source told E1.RU, the youth on ATVs, most likely, were not quite sober.
Everything happened literally half a kilometer from the residential complex "Quiet Bay". As a local resident said, on weekends, drunken youth constantly ride in their vicinity.
- They come from Yekaterinburg for the weekend and constantly ride here at night. Drunk, all without helmets,” the man said.
According to him, the dead do not live in this LCD. After the incident, several jeeps arrived at the scene of the accident. Apparently, they were relatives of the victims.
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A girl who survived lies in this hospital in Sysert.
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The girl who survived the accident is now in the general ward.
In addition to her, there are three other patients.
Until 4 pm there was a sleep hour in the hospital.
When the E1.RU correspondent entered the ward, the girl, lying on her back, looked at the phone. Ekaterina looks tired, before that the doctors gave her a sedative injection.
Ekaterina did not allow herself to be photographed. To all our questions about the causes of the accident and the circumstances of the accident, she answered "No comment." The girl speaks calmly, no injuries are noticeable on her face.
The attending physician does not comment on the condition of the girl. We were able to talk to other hospital doctors who are aware of what happened. According to them, Catherine has no serious injuries. She was diagnosed with bruises and a concussion.
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According to E1.RU's source, the guys who died in the accident studied at the international business department at UrFU.
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Photo: Evgeny STOYANOV / E1.RU, E1.RU reader
on the topic
July 22, 12:20
In Yekaterinburg, adolescents turned the road to a storylog on the ATV: Video of MentionsAlena Batalova
Evgeny Stoyanov
9000 Sofia IsakovaE1.RU night reporter
Новости РЎРњР?2
Новости РЎРњР?2
Most often, ATVs are used for sports and entertainment.
In our country, they are officially classified as self-propelled vehicles - those that are rarely used on public roads. By the way, snowmobiles, tractors and combines belong to the same category. And while there are no changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation on this matter, the owners of motorcycles decide for themselves the question of the need for insurance.
Every quad bike owner should remember: if he needs, even occasionally, to go to the city or to the highway on his "iron horse", he automatically becomes a road user. And here the law already operates: any vehicle is subject to compulsory insurance. Therefore, when deciding whether to insure or not, consider for the future what roads you plan to drive on.
On the one hand, an ATV is a vehicle, on the other hand, property. And you can insure it from a number of situations. When applying for a policy with an insurance company, the owner himself chooses from what situations he considers it necessary to protect his ATV: theft, damage (in an accident and not only, damage to equipment by third parties, natural disasters, including snow falling from the roof, etc.
) .
If you are concerned about insured events both on the road and off it, make out CASCO, if only the first option is enough CMTPL.
The procedure will require a minimum package of documents. During a personal visit to the insurance organization, you must have with you:
If you are the owner of the vehicle, but another person will drive it, then you will need a passport (or a copy) of this driver to enter it into the insurance. There may be another situation: if you are not the owner of the ATV, then take the owner's passport with you.
Some companies offer to issue a policy remotely. In this case, the employee who will communicate with you via the Internet, by phone or in instant messengers, may additionally ask you to send your clear photo.
The ATV is often used irregularly, so it is far from always profitable to make a policy for a year. Select the periods during which you plan to use the transport. It doesn't have to be a whole summer or fall season. You may well choose specific months (for example, you expect to work hard in the office until July, spend July at a resort, and already in August and September ride a quad bike with a breeze.
You can find this out on the websites of insurance companies (as a rule, there are online calculators there) or by calling the contact numbers of these organizations. The cost of the service is calculated individually for each client. But there are a number of factors that can influence the final figure in one direction or another:
The model of the ATV also matters. The more expensive it is, the higher the insurance. For example, a CASCO policy will cost about 20% of the cost of the ATV itself.
Do not rush to contact the first company that comes across. Consider several options, call and discuss the conditions, ask questions. And then choose the most attractive, in your opinion, offer. Before signing, carefully study the contract, including information about what insurance covers and does not cover, about insurance premium payments.
The average cost of an MTPL policy for an ATV is several times lower than car insurance. At the same time, the risk of motorcycles getting into an accident is higher than that of conventional cars.
