Leo
11-11-2003, 02:00 PM
Tue, Nov 11, 2003
Family sues Honda over ATV crash
By Jessica Bock
Wausau Daily Herald
jbock@wdhprint.com
A Hatley family is suing the Honda Motor Co. in connection with an all-terrain-vehicle crash in 2000 that left a then-15-year-old girl paralyzed.
Samantha L. Novosad, 18, was a passenger on the 1982 Honda "Big Red" three-wheeled ATV when the driver lost control and the vehicle overturned.
Novosad's lawsuit claims that Honda was negligent in the design, inspection and testing of the ATV and for inadequately warning riders of the hazards of using it.
When Novosad was thrown from the ATV, she suffered a severe spinal cord injury requiring multiple surgeries that rendered her a quadriplegic.
Novosad said the disability has caused her mental and physical suffering and led to substantial medical expenses. The complaint also says that Novosad's ability to get a job to support herself has been diminished. The complaint does not say how much money she is seeking for medical expenses and punitive damages.
Wausau attorney Alan Grischke, who is representing the Novosad family, said the lawsuit could have significant results but declined to comment further while the case was in progress. This is the second week in the three-week jury trial that began on Nov. 3.
Novosad sat in her wheelchair next to Grischke on Monday morning in a courtroom at the Marathon County Courthouse while a safety expert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison testified that warnings on the ATV about not having passengers were inappropriately placed and could be overlooked by users.
"I have a problem with it," said Michael J. Smith, a professor of industrial engineering. "The size and placement on the ATV is inconspicuous to have a person's attention attracted to it."
The 14-person jury, including two alternates, will continue to hear testimony and other evidence today. The trial is expected to end on Nov. 21.
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
Gandolf the Gray
Family sues Honda over ATV crash
By Jessica Bock
Wausau Daily Herald
jbock@wdhprint.com
A Hatley family is suing the Honda Motor Co. in connection with an all-terrain-vehicle crash in 2000 that left a then-15-year-old girl paralyzed.
Samantha L. Novosad, 18, was a passenger on the 1982 Honda "Big Red" three-wheeled ATV when the driver lost control and the vehicle overturned.
Novosad's lawsuit claims that Honda was negligent in the design, inspection and testing of the ATV and for inadequately warning riders of the hazards of using it.
When Novosad was thrown from the ATV, she suffered a severe spinal cord injury requiring multiple surgeries that rendered her a quadriplegic.
Novosad said the disability has caused her mental and physical suffering and led to substantial medical expenses. The complaint also says that Novosad's ability to get a job to support herself has been diminished. The complaint does not say how much money she is seeking for medical expenses and punitive damages.
Wausau attorney Alan Grischke, who is representing the Novosad family, said the lawsuit could have significant results but declined to comment further while the case was in progress. This is the second week in the three-week jury trial that began on Nov. 3.
Novosad sat in her wheelchair next to Grischke on Monday morning in a courtroom at the Marathon County Courthouse while a safety expert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison testified that warnings on the ATV about not having passengers were inappropriately placed and could be overlooked by users.
"I have a problem with it," said Michael J. Smith, a professor of industrial engineering. "The size and placement on the ATV is inconspicuous to have a person's attention attracted to it."
The 14-person jury, including two alternates, will continue to hear testimony and other evidence today. The trial is expected to end on Nov. 21.
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
Gandolf the Gray