Polaris Ranger RZR Side-by-Side Lawsuit
A woman of Chatham County, Georgia, has filed suit against Polaris Industries, alleging she was “scalped” and her spine was broken following an incident aboard a 2009 Polaris Ranger RZR Side-by-Side.
According to the federal complaint, filed Monday in Savannah, Georgia, Amber Glisson was a passenger in the RZR when her hair became entangled in the “unprotected” driveshaft of the Side-by-Side ATV manufactured by the Minnesota-based Polaris.
The suit claims that “While riding in the ATV, with full face helmet buckled on and safety belt strapped, Amber’s hair became caught in the unguarded and unprotected rotating drive shaft which is below the passenger seat, the force of which scalped her (medically referred to as a scalp avulsion) and fractured one or more discs of her spine, fractured ribs and caused her other serious bodily injury.
“At the time of the accident, the subject vehicle was being properly used as intended by the manufacturer and in a manner reasonably foreseeable to Polaris.”
The suit further alleges that “No warning of the danger of the opening at the rear and rear sides of the seats of the passenger compartment which permitted the drive shaft to be exposed or the danger of this design existed on the RZR; neither was there any such warning in the Operator’s Manual for the vehicle.”
Glisson claims the vehicle, which was purchased brand new in January 2011, was being properly used, and Polaris is at fault because it sold the ATV with the unsafe driveshafts and offered no warning
The suit claims Glisson has incurred more than $400,000 in medical expenses, and “has permanent scarring and disfigurement by reason of having been scalped, as well as other serious permanent injuries, and has and will ever continue to suffer both mentally and physically for her entire life, and has and will experience lost income by reason of her injuries.”
Glisson, who is represented by Arnold Young with Hunger Maclean Exley & Dunn, seeks compensatory and punitive damages for product liability, failure to warn, negligence, pain, suffering, and medical expenses.
Stay clicked to UltimateMotorCycling.com for updates on this case as they become available.