Grass Valley Fatal ATV Crash
I’m Ed Smith, a Grass Valley Personal Injury Attorney. Many people remember being told “safety first” as children. This is especially true for people engaging in high-speed sports, such as ATV riding. What was meant to be an enjoyable activity quickly turned disastrous for one Grass Valley woman involved in an ATV accident.
An ATV Flip
For those who have watched extreme sports on TV, they may have seen people attempt to do flips off of jumps in vehicles ranging from monster trucks to snowmobiles; however, this ATV was not meant to flip over. A local Grass Valley woman now faces murder charges after overturning the ATV that she was driving. The other passengers in the ATV fell out during the flip, likely leading to polytrauma from bone fractures and other traumatic injuries. Unfortunately, one of the passengers did not survive. A 31-year old woman was killed after authorities said that the ATV flipped over and landed on top of her, likely causing abdominal trauma and chest trauma with multiple rib fractures as well.
Charges are Pending
While many people think about drunk driving involving auto accidents, people can be charged with this crime no matter what vehicle they are driving. The driver of this ATV accident has been charged with DUI along with murder and is being held without bond. The single-vehicle accident occurred just after 6:30 PM, likely while daylight was still present. Because of the serious nature of her charges, she is being held without bond in a local county jail. While the charges are serious, many people involved in drunk driving accidents may also be involved in a wrongful death situation.
It Started with a House Party
Like many disastrous stories, this incident started with a party at the driver’s house. The entire ATV crew was at the driver’s house, likely consuming alcoholic beverages based on the DUI charges, and decided to go for a ride in the Yamaha ATV. Regardless of the type of vehicle that people are riding in, people need to make sure that they wear their seat belts if the vehicle has a motor. The driver lost control of the ATV and the driver was ejected with the passengers due to the lack of seat belt use. That’s when the accident took a disastrous turn, as the ATV landed on top of one of the passengers. Despite the first aid administered by bystanders, the woman passed away from her injuries.
Lack of Seat Belt Use is a Serious Issue
While people are told from a young age that they need to wear a seat belt due to the serious injuries that can result, many people still fail to do so. While the accident is unfortunate, the other people involved are fortunate that they weren’t hurt worse, particularly due to the ejection factor. People who are ejected from vehicles can suffer traumatic brain injuries that can lead to chronic pain if the spinal cord is damaged. Because most brain injuries have chronic consequences, people can also develop debilitating comorbidities from their injuries. All of this can be prevented if people wear their seat belts as they’re supposed to.
Grass Valley Wrongful Death & Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Grass Valley Personal Injury Attorney. If you, or a loved one has been injured or passed away in an ATV accident, please call me at (530) 392-9400 for friendly, free advice. I maintain a toll-free line at (800) 404-5400.
I am proud to be a member of the California chapter of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This is a group of some of the top-rated trial lawyers in the country. Every lawyer in this group has won million or multiple million-dollar verdicts in prior cases.
I encourage everyone to look through some of my prior verdicts and settlements here.
My client reviews and rankings may be viewed here: Avvo, Yelp, and Google.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Source of Grass Valley Fatal ATV Crash ~
:dr bw