ATV Accidents And South Carolina Wrongful Death

The South Carolina House recently passed a new bill, Chandler’s Law, that would set age requirements and other restrictions for all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs. The bill comes after a 13-year-old Columbia boy, Chandler Saylor, was killed in an ATV accident while at a friend’s birthday party in 2003. Under the new bill, children under the age of nine would not be allowed to ride ATVs and those who ride the vehicles must first take a safety course.

Currently, there are very few restrictions on ATVs, which have grown in popularity over the past few decades, especially in North Carolina and South Carolina. While some believe that the vehicles, which are not often used on roads or by those who are not farming or hunting, should not be overly regulated, others believe that the number of ATV injuries and ATV deaths can be significantly reduced if there were age requirements and other safety requirements.

Over the years, ATVs have been at the center of dozens of wrongful death cases across the country. Here are just a few recent cases:

• This year, a widow sued an ATV owner and an ATV rider after her husband died of a traumatic brain injury following a four-wheeler crash.
• In February, the parents of a ten-year-old girl filed a wrongful death suit against the makers of the Yamaha Rhino after their daughter was killed in an ATV rollover accident. Yamaha has faced dozens of lawsuit regarding the Rhino, which many think is not safe.
• The mother of a young girl killed in an ATV accident in 2006 sued the driver of the ATV, a volunteer firefighter who she alleged was driving recklessly.

If you have lost a loved one in a Carolina ATV accident and believe that the death could have been prevented if not for the negligence of someone else, speak with a SC wrongful death attorney today.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and we have experience handling wrongful death cases. We serve every area of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, Nags Head and the western mountains, as well as all the cities and counties in between. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg. 

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and listed in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Our North Carolina injury law firm has also been named one of the Best Injury Law Firms in North Carolina for personal injury plaintiffs since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. So call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call promptly.