WINFIELD -- A man is suing Yamaha Motor Corporation after he claims he was injured when a Yamaha Rhino 660 he was a passenger in rolled over.
Dohm Cycles, Inc. was also named as a defendant in the suit.
On a date prior to Sept. 10, 2010, a customer purchased a 2006 Yamaha Rhino 660 from Dohm, which was eventually used at a sod farm known as Riverside Sod Farm in Putnam County, according to a complaint filed in Putnam Circuit Court.
Edgar D. Morris, an employee of Riverside Sod Farm, claims on Sept. 10, 2010, he was a passenger in the Rhino 660, which was being operated by a co-worker within the course and scope of their employment.
While he was riding in the vehicle, the Rhino 660 rolled over, entrapping Morris’ lower left leg, which resulted in a fracture of both the tibia and the fibula, according to the suit.
Morris claims despite surgical intervention, he continues to suffer pain as a result of the injury and his leg contains hardware which will remain in his body for the foreseeable future.
On March 31, 2009, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Yamaha, suspended the sale of the Rhino 660 as the result of rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, many of which involved turns at relatively low speeds on level terrain, according to the suit.
Morris claims the defendants knew or should have known that the product was defective.
As a result of the defendants’ negligence, Morris sustained physical and mental pain and suffering; mental anguish; medical expenses; loss of enjoyment of life; loss of earnings and earning capacity; and great aggravation, annoyance and inconvenience, according to the suit.
Morris is seeking compensatory damages. He is being represented by Thomas H. Peyton.
The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Phillip Stowers.
Putnam Circuit Court case number: 12-C-278
Man sues Yamaha for Rhino injuries
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