Runnvs1,

That is a very good point. The same thing can be said about guns. We have all done something stupid in our life sometimes we paid for other times we didn't.

One thing that is a fact is there are TO many lawyers.

 

Lawyers, lawyers, lawyers

What is the difference between a lawyer and a racoon that are both dead on the road?

There are skid-marks in front of the racoon!

No, really, the laws of this great country are going in the wrong direction. Too many times, liability is directed to a manufacturer or corporation that had absolutely no impact on the accident. I feel that if a product is made to be reliable and safe to use in the manner it was designed, the company has done its job. I heard of an incident where a guy lost some fingers when he stuck his hand into a running lawn mower and sued the mower manufacturer, Briggs & Stratton, and the store where he bought it. He got something, though I'm not sure what. Other than having one of their employees cut this man's grass, none of the three companies could have done anything to prevent it. Face it, we live in a lazy, always in a hurry, get rich quick society. As long as there is a big buck to be made, there will be an unscrupulous, lawyer there waiting to litigate. We don't need lawyers, we need higher ethics and morals. Atv's, guns, machinery, cars, etc, are all relatively safe if used correctly and with the proper equipment. Use any one of these in a manner which it was not intended and the results could be catastrofic. We all do foolish things now and then. Sometimes bad things happen and sometimes we go unscathed. Regardless of the outcome, we usually have nothing to blame but carelessness. Dont't get me wrong, there are plenty of cases where a company overlooks safety or markets a defective product for which they should be responsible. But, given a safe, reliable product, I do not feel that anybody other than that careless individual should be held accountable. Enough of this, I could go on forever. I think I'll take a fresh cup of coffee and go play chicken with a barbed wire fence while wearing shorts and sandals. See ya!

 

A person now days has to watch thier back in every way they can.It seems that people are sue happy.Like ive said in other posts.I do have two quads and take friends rideing.They wear a helmet and sign a letter of release of liability.This way i cant be sued if they get stupid or hurt.Im sorry to hear that another atvr was killed.I know that when i bought mine a training program was offerd and i took it.Not only did i learn somthing but they paid me50.00 to do the program.I think more people who ride should take a rideing program of some sort.....BOB

 

Your right about the training class. The only reason I took it was because it was free & my wife needed it. You are right I even learned something. My wife learned a lot.

The training class is a very good idea. I wish all manufacturers offered it. I am talking to you E-ton. All the major ones do.

 

I believe this all boils down to a lack of personal responsibilty in today's society. No matter what happens to someone, or what someone does to themselves, they are always looking for someone else to blame, so that they don't appear as stupid as they really are. But what's worse, they not only want to blame someone else, they want to make money off of their own stupidity. Unfortunatly, an over population in the legal profession today has too many lawyers that will bring a suit against anyone with deep pockets. Why not. It costs you nothing if you lose, and you get rich if you win.
We are traveling down a dangerous path with this mentality today. Not only do manufacturers have to charge more to cover litigation costs, but they are afraid to invent, design or market a new idea for fear that someone will sue over its misuse. This stiffles growth in industry. We all lose in the end.

 

King,

Just to let you know, a letter of release doesnt hold up in court. The only thing it can do is make that person think that they cant sue you, when in reality they can just as easily as without that letter.
We had a paintball place shut-down because some kid got hurt while playing paintball, and even though he signed a letter or release, his parents sued and won like 100grand or something, closed the place down.

 

For a minute there I thought I was listening to Rush, but I agree totally.

 

Hey i just read in the newspaper that i guy was killed on a motorcycle on the freeway and wait what is this another guy was fatally injured on a watercraft, and finally a third on a snowmobile. But yet all we focus on is the individual on the atv. I think we should just ban all atv's of every kind because they are the most dangerous ivention man ever came up with and that would solve our problem right? WHAT BULLLL I agree it is a tragedy for someone to lose a life doing ANYTHING but the fact is everyday someone gets injured or fataly wounded doing all kinds of motorsports and to blame atvs or the manufacturers is just plain wrong. To send us back into the stone ages where we have been kept for the last 10 yrs is wrong. They haven't done that to anyone else but us.
Why, we ask ourselves ,is because of how this forum got started somebody does somthin stupid and hurts themselves and won't take responsibility for their own actions instead we try to blame anyone and anything we can so it must have been the atv then right!? WRONG!! don't accept this as being a dangerous sport that we shouldn't have high performance machines in. Our great sport is one that can be enjoyed by most mature individual with no problems at all and creates better times and memories thann any others. Sure there will always be folks who find someway to injur themselves "which is a trajedy" but when is the last time u saw anyone trying to ban large engine motorcycles because someone got killed it doesn't happen nor should it happen to us. We all need to stand up for our sport, because although it is looking up right now like it did in the late 80's it could quickly turn right around to what we lived through the last ten years. Don't let folks use these scare tactics talking about how many folks have been injured to convince the public that our sport in more dangerous than any other. Fellow atvers i love our sport and 99% of the people i meet in our sport. Sorry so long its just that i am sick of our sport getting portrayed in a bad light so much so that we have only had 1 high performance machine in the last ten years to choose from. I also want to make sure our sport is around for our kids to enjoy too!!!

 

It is my hope that while we voice our opinions about (vultures) Lawyers, that we at the same time remember that there has been some good brought about by lawsuits against money hungry greedy corporations in the past. Many of the safer products of today are so because of suits brought about because in their hast to make money companies often didn't consider the impact of their actions.

With that said allow me to state that it is in the abuse or exaggeration of either position that the system becomes tainted. Moderation in all things has become my motto over the past many years.

However, it is time that the public stood up to these frivolus lawsuits and told our judges and politicians enough is enough. It is time that we each write our elected officals and named by name incidents where we feel the system went too far, reminding them that we the people will no longer tolerate such extremes.

Finally, It's time that we begin to monitor (police) our own ranks. I was reading in the latest ATV Sport editorials where a farmer took riding priviledges from all because of the actions of one. Have the guts to go to another and tell them what type of example they are making for the entire community of ATV'ers.

Do your part, by your own actions, to proliferate the sport and make a good example. Here is a hard one: wear a helmet and protective clothing. And always tread lightly.

I'll probably get hammered or slammed as one with too much time on my hands or something, but it is a way of defusing those who would seek to take away our rights. Anything in life worth having is worth our time to help protect and save.

 

Greetings,

Actually, I pretty much agree. A group of doctors from the middle east once told me that the reason the American medical system is so good is because of lawsuit pressure. They said that this is recognized nearly everywhere except, oddly enough, in the U.S.

And I believe that there are laws against bringing frivilous lawsuits, but their use is far from consistent.

End of screed.