Lancaster, Wisconsin - A three-year-old boy was fatally injured while riding on a Yamaha Rhino ATV on Sunday, according to reports by WKOWTV.com and NBC15.com. The boy was transported to Grant Regional by the Lancaster Rescue Squad, then Med-Flighted to Madison, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the ATV suffered a broken leg. This is the second weekend in a row that a child has been killed in a Yamaha Rhino rollover. Last weekend, an 8-year-old Texas boy was killed in a Yamaha Rhino rollover in Oklahoma.

This is the latest in a long line of tragic injuries and deaths suffered by people using Yamaha Rhino ATVs. The Rhino has a narrow wheelbase and a high center-of-gravity, making it prone to tip over. Additionally, 2005 and 2006 Rhinos were sold without doors, which allows passengers’ arms and legs to be crushed during Rhino rollovers.

Yamaha has failed to recall the Rhino, even though it is aware of the deaths and injuries suffered in Rhino rollovers. In an online Rhino Guide Supplement, Yamaha admits: “Doing things with a Rhino that some people do for thrills in other vehicles (such as sideways sliding, skidding, fishtailing, or donuts) have led to side rollovers. These rollovers can result in crushed limbs and other serious injuries or death to drivers or passengers.” Also, in a 2007 Yamaha press release, the company admitted that abrupt maneuvers can cause a Rhino to roll over, even on flat ground.

Once again, the ATV Attorney Alliance calls on Yamaha to recall Rhino ATVs to remedy their defective design.

More information about the Rhino can be found on our Yamaha Rhino page. Also, if you were injured or lost a family member in an Yamaha Rhino rollover or other ATV accident, you can use our online ATV case review form to obtain a free evaluation of your potential lawsuit by lawyers of the ATV Attorney Alliance. The ATV Attorney Alliance is a national alliance of law firms for people injured or killed in a Yamaha Rhino rollover or other ATV accident.