Driver Killed in NY Yamaha Rhino ATV Rollover Accident
By Jim Greene
Published on November 28, 2009
A Rochester, N.Y., man was killed when the Yamaha Rhino all-terrain vehicle (ATV) he was driving overturned as he made a sharp turn. His passenger escaped with minor injuries.
Joseph D. Wellin, 49, died at the scene of the accident in Cohocton, Steuben County, on Nov. 13. Police said Wellin was using neither a seat belt nor a helmet when he was partially ejected from the ATV and suffered head injuries. Wellin's body was sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's office in Rochester to confirm the cause of death.
Francis E. Clark, 46, of Prattsburg, N.Y., suffered minor injuries and was cited for possession of marijuana.
Yamaha refers to the four-wheel-drive Rhino as a side-by-side ATV, because its configuration is wider than standard ATVs, allowing side-by-side seats for driver and passenger. Critics of the vehicle say that any advantage of the wider wheelbase is canceled out by the ATV's excessive height, which they say makes it top-heavy and prone to rollover.
Yamaha has not issued a recall to deal with stability complaints, but earlier this year offered a free fix to widen the rear wheelbase by four inches and remove a sway bar. The company also offered to add half-doors to the vehicles, to keep occupants' lower limbs inside the cab during rollover accidents.
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