Textron is a company that primarily manufactures off-road and off-highway vehicles for recreational use. It has various products and vehicles under its umbrella and is the parent company of Arctic Cat. Some of its products are notorious for being defective, however, and as a result, many vehicles have been recalled. There have been hundreds of reports of defects and malfunctions and dozens of injuries and incidents reported by consumers. Textron’s off-road utility vehicles can cause accidents if you are not careful, and you should always pay attention to potential recalls. The company may contact you directly for actions to take. If you were involved in an incident involving a defective Textron Bad Boy off-road utility vehicle or any other ROV, contact Normandie Law Firm to file a claim and receive compensation.
Textron Bad Boy Buggy Recall
Textron’s Bad Boy off-road utility vehicles are four-wheeled buggies that have raised roofs, treated tires, and a pair of rear-facing seats. The buggies were manufactured from November 2010 through June 2013 and were sold at various Textron dealers for between $13,200 and $14,200. 1100 of both the Bad Boy XTO and Bone Collector XTO models were involved in the recall, which was issued in January of 2017.
The cause of the recall was due to the death of a 14 year old boy in Georgia, who was ejected from the vehicle during a rollover and crushed beneath it. The vehicle weighs 1700 lbs and can easily kill someone if it lands on him. In other incidents, and adult male suffered a serious leg injury in a buggy crash and a 13 year old girl had her leg amputated after it was pinned beneath a buggy that rolled over.
The buggies were recalled on the basis that the lack of nets, doors, and seatbelts pose huge risks and dangers to all passengers in the vehicles, regardless of age or size.
– Sue Polaris for Defective ACE 325 Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle
As with most product recalls, Textron has offered consumers and customers the option to return the buggy to a certified or authorized dealer to receive a free repair. The repair consists of installing seatbelts into the seats of the buggy. This presents a stark difference between the buggy and other off-road vehicles, the majority of which do not have seat belts or other safety features.
Dangers of Off-Road Vehicles and Bad Boy Buggies
Off-road vehicles are usually not manufactured with certain safety features that are present in other vehicles. For example, automobiles all have seatbelts, airbags, cushions, headrests, and other designs that are meant to prevent injuries. Off-road vehicles are simply engines covered in plastic and affixed to wheels. ATVs and quads are extremely dangerous and comparable to motorbikes, while buggies can be top-heavy and not balanced. Buggies especially can be imbalanced because of the seat design, in which two passengers are in the front and two are facing the rear of the vehicle, which can unevenly distribute the weight.
Rollover accidents are also not uncommon with buggies, considering that many off-road vehicles are meant to traverse uneven terrain, sharp drops, trenches, hills, embankments, and more. If a buggy rolls over, it may eject passengers or the roof may collapse and cause injuries. The tires can also collapse and the frame can bend.
Although the lack of safety features was the primary reason for the recall of Textron’s products, there are other ways that off-road vehicle riders can be injured. They can suffer damages in accidents caused for the following reasons:
- Speeding
- Operating the vehicles while drunk or while taking drugs
- Riding with too many people on the vehicle
- Riding at night with no headlights on
- Driving with defects on the vehicle, like broken brakes, blown tires, engine problems, and more
- Driving in dangerous terrain or areas
- Riding on roads that are not compatible with the off-road vehicle such as paved roads
- Colliding with trees, other vehicles, stumps, rocks, boulders, and more
- Falling off cliffs, precipices, edges, ledges, banks of rivers or lakes, and more
As a result of any of these incidents, riders can be severely injured. Some of the damages that are possible include:
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Closed head injuries
- Brain damage
- Brain bleeding
- Neck injuries
- Whiplash
- Spinal cord damage
- Herniated and ruptured discs
- Dislocations
- Broken bones
- Sprains
- Strains
- Torn muscles
- Nerve damage
- LCL, ACL, MCL, and other knee injuries
- Hip damage
- Internal organ damage
- Broken ribs
- Internal bleeding
- Scarring
- Burns
- Disfigurement
- Facial injuries
- CRPS
- Puncture wounds
- Crushing injuries
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Severed limbs and digits
- Coma
- Death
You should not take needless risks when driving an off-road vehicle. The injuries can be devastating and permanent, and you should not place your life in danger. If you were hurt in an accident with a Textron Bad Boy vehicle and the defect caused you to suffer damages, you could file a lawsuit for legal compensation.
How to File a Product Liability Lawsuit
If you wish to file a product liability lawsuit, you must be able to show that the company was negligent in some way. There are three ways to do this. For one, you can show that there was a design flaw with the product. In this case, there were no safety features at all, and you can argue that the company should have known that would be a problem when the vehicle was conceptualized.
Further, there could have been a manufacturing error with the vehicle, such as broken brakes caused by a defective machine at the plant. These manufacturing errors usually affect groups or batches of vehicles at a time, as not all vehicles are made by the same machine. These defects usually occur to the working parts; in the case of Textron’s recall it is not that anything was broken, but simply nonexistent.
Lastly, there could be a lack of warnings or hazard signs on the packaging or on the vehicle itself. There should be ample statements warning about the dangers of riding; if none existed, you could sue if you were hurt.
Once you have the correct point to use for your lawsuit, you must gather evidence to be presented to the insurance agency. This evidence can be gathered at the scene of the accident and may incorporate a fair amount of past proof as well.
The very first step you should take, though, is seeking medical help to ensure that you are not seriously hurt. If you are seriously wounded, you will need to go to the emergency room for treatment. Forgoing medical treatment until later can be a bad sign and will cause the insurance agent to doubt your claim. You should get help from the paramedics or go the doctor, and you should hold on to these medical receipts and notes to prove the extent of your damages and show the treatment you received.
You will then have to provide proof of the incident and the defect. This means taking photos and videos of the injuries you suffered, the defect present with the buggy, the scene of the accident, and more. You should have multiple angles and views.
Next, you should get eyewitness testimonies and statements from bystanders to show how the event happened. Other people can provide their perspectives to help with your claim. They may even have suffered similar accidents due to the defects.
You should not get rid of the buggy or return it to Textron for repairs or replacement. It is your key evidence, and if you get rid of it, you will not have sufficient proof for your lawsuit. You also will not have a valid claim if you try to fix the buggy yourself or if you tamper with it in any way. The insurance agent is constantly looking for ways to disprove your case or cast doubt into it, and if you were tinkering with the buggy, the agent can claim that you likely caused the malfunction in the first place.
It is also highly recommended that you hire an expert product liability lawyer for your case. If you have never taken legal action before, it will be in your favor to find an attorney who can handle your case for you. You will likely be rejected by the insurance agent, but our lawyers will fight to the end for your rightful damages. You should focus on recovering and returning to normal while we strive to win your damages.
Textron Bad Boy Accident Compensation
The types of compensation that you can earn from a Textron accident lawsuit can pay off the debts you entered. The value of your claim will largely be determined by the extent of your injuries. We will negotiate the maximum deal from the agent and seek to reimburse you for all of the following:
- Medical expenses from the past and future for surgery, hospitalization, medication, physical therapy, and more
- Property damage to the vehicle and any lost items or broken personal belongings
- Lost wages from the past and future
- Pain and suffering damages for your emotional trauma, psychological suffering, PSTSD, anxiety, and more
- Wrongful death damages if a loved one or family member died in the incident, including loss of income and relations, pre-death medical bills and pain and suffering, funeral and burial fees, and more
You should not be expected to cover these costs if you were the victim in an accident. Our firm can help you move forward with a claim.
How We Help
Normandie Law Firm has years of experience with product recall cases and we have seen firsthand how many vehicles have caused accidents when they were manufactured by Textron. We know the strategies to win your case, and our aggressive lawyers will not stop pursuing your rightful damages until we are satisfied with the result. We will defend you in court if necessary and treat you as our highest priority.
Call our law offices for a free legal consultation. All consultations are totally confidential and we can be reached around the clock. You will be able to ask us anything you wish and we will tell you how much we think your claim is worth. We will also tell you about our zero fee guarantee, which prevents you from touching your savings throughout the case. We cover all costs of the claim, and if we win, the insurance company reimburses us and pays our fees as part of the settlement we win. If we lose, we take nothing.
Don’t hesitate to sue Textron for injuries suffered in a Bad Boy off-road vehicle accident – contact Normandie Law Firm today.
