(07) 4944 2000
Local people. Local expertise. Industry leaders

Quad Bike Accidents on Rural Properties

John Formosa
John Formosa
1 Comment

On 26 September 2014, John Lock the Deputy Coroner handed down his interim findings into three (3) quad bike accidents on rural properties that accounted for the deaths of two (2) children and two (2) adults.  The full findings can be obtained from the links listed at the end of this article.*

The Deputy Coroner made findings in relation to the deaths of the four people involved in the accident and is yet to hand down final findings in relation to various safety aspects of quad bikes investigated in the three coronial inquests.

Quoting from the introduction by Deputy Coroner John Lock, I have chosen the following experts:-

“Approximately 170 deaths over the past decade have occurred in Australia and New Zealand whilst quad bikes were involved.  Most of these have occurred in a rural setting and the leading cause of death on farms in Queensland has some involvement with a quad bike.”

“Whatever may be said about their utility, they have become an essential equipment on many farms.  That being said, the evidence gathered during this multiple inquest raise many issues including the importance of active riding, good maintenance, use of correct tyre pressure, use of helmets, not allowing children to ride adult sized quad bikes, understanding the limitations of the vehicle and that tragic incidents can occur in quite benign conditions.”

In one of the inquests reported, the incident involved a child riding an adult sized quad bike who was only 11 years of age at the time of his death.  The autopsy of the child showed that death was due to asphyxia, and quoting from the doctor’s report “There was only minor bruising over the chest and no evidence of major internal injury.” The quad bike involved in the accident was a 460cc machine which the child would not normally ride, as the child was used to riding a smaller 250cc machine.  The quad bike involved in the accident reportedly weight 365kg.

When the deceased child was found pinned under the quad bike by his 15 year old older brother, the rider of the bike was still alive and the brother spoke to him and then went for help to a nearby farm, however, when he arrived back with help the 11 year old had already died.

The Coroner in his summation makes these comments about the likely cause of the accident:-

“The most likely appears to be that whilst travelling in a straight line, H turned sharply to the left to go around a bend.  There was a rock in the centre of the driveway that he would have ridden over and he would have then ridden over a slight rise of the grassed verge area to the left of the road.  H is unlikely to have effectively shifted his weight to the left of the quad bike and the quad bike has rolled to the right.” (H being the deceased 11 years old).

 

The coroner says:-

“For all quad bikes, it is important that riders incorporate what is known as ‘active riding’.  Because of the effect of centrifugal force and inertia force, a rider needs to change their body’s centre of gravity to avoid rolling the quad bike or skidding.  The heavier the rider, the more effective this is.  H weighed 72 kg, so active riding is likely to have a made a difference…  The consequences of not incorporating active riding on a heavier and faster quad bike are much greater.  Failure to do so in this case could have resulted in the quad bike rolling to the right… What is known is that H was riding an adult sized quad bike and that was clearly against the instructions of the manufacture.  H was not as used to this quad bike as he was more experienced on a smaller, albeit still an adult sized quad.  It had some differences in relation to weight, power and different treads of tyres.  It handled differently… Whatever may have been H’s relative experience and competencies on a quad bike, this is an example of why the overwhelming evidence from virtually all safety experts and industry is that children under 16 should not ride adult sized quad bikes, and certainly not when unsupervised.”

 

There was no type of rollover or protection device installed on the quad bike involved.  The Coroner goes on to mention that the bike involved did not have the correct tyre pressure at the time of the accident and, further, that there was a warning both on the bike and on the instruction manual along the following lines: –

“WARNING – Operating this ATV if you’re under the age of 16 increases your chance of injury or death.  NEVER operate this ATV if you’re under the age of 16”.

 

Deputy Coroner Lock discussed the issue of what active riding meant and the importance of reading the manufacturers warning in relation to children under the age of 16 riding quad bikes.  Basically the coroner discussed that children under the age of 16 neither had the motor skills nor the sufficient body mass to effectively control the larger machines and their weight distribution shift.

Listed below are several other links to different articles that are well worth reading and provide further information, all of which leads to me to believe that there needs to be a serious look into the safety aspects of the use of quad bikes in rural locations.  A quote that caught my attention from one of the articles by Ann Arnold as per link five (5) below is as follows:-

“They’re called the farmers friend, but research indicates that 15 to 20 people are killed and more than 1,000 are seriously injured each year in quad bike accidents.  The industry blames rider behaviour, while safety experts say the bikes are inherently unstable and want increased safety measures.”

 

The use of quad bikes on rural properties in Australia, or for that matter worldwide, has increased and continues to increase dramatically every year.  This is no doubt because of the various attributes of these machines including their versatility, their ease of use, their ability to carry payloads and their general practicality of use.

Unfortunately however.  they do have safety issues in that when incorrectly used, or more importantly used in the wrong situation then can cause serious injury and sometimes fatalities.  They are probably more dangerous to use on a rural property than a motorbike, mainly because of their weight and the fact that the effected crushing or pinning injuries can cause major impact on the operator.

Research for this article has led me to an article written by Geoff McDonald of Geoff McDonald & Associates on this very subject, in particular in relation to criticism by the major quad bike manufacturers towards a Queensland invention known as a Quadbar.  The Quadbar is manufactured by David Robinson (www.quadbar.com.au).  It was on receiving this information that convinced me to write this article which I had been thinking of for many months and I found it quite incredible that the major manufacturers of quad bikes would be against making them safer.

Geoff McDonald, in delivering a paper at a recent Workplace, Health and Safety conference, produced statistics which clearly showed the quad bike manufacturers claim that the Quadbar made quad bikes more dangerous is simply an outrageous statement.  Geoff McDonald said:-

“No person with a realistic command of the English language, a minimal understanding of science and an objective outlook, having read the DRI’s report on the Quadbar could have written “cause more harm than good” or “increase rather decrease the likelihood of injury” when referring to the fitment of the Quadbar, because the report did not say that”

 

What Geoff was referring to in this statement was an advertisement placed by the manufacturers of quad bikes (Can-am, Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kymco) where by the following statement was made:-

“Studies that meet global standards have shown without exception that ROP and Crush Proof Devices installed on ATVs increase rather than decrease the likelihood of injury.”

 

Geoff McDonald’s studies and article clearly show that the fitment of a Quadbar or some type of rollover protection system has the reverse effect and in particular with regards to the lessening of the chance of crushing and pinning injuries which are the common cause of serious and fatal injuries from quad bikes.

The Quadbar website gives, in my opinion, detailed and sensible critique of their use and fitment and, to me as a layperson, clearly makes sense.

As owners and operators of rural properties and as employers of staff on rural properties, Workplace Health and Safety issues must be paramount in any property owner’s thoughts.

From discussing this article and the issues contained in this article with various farmers or graziers that I know, they have all had, or know of somebody who has had, a near miss with a quad bike, most of the time in situations in which they were surprised by the accident that occurred.  They all recognise their inherent instability and danger and realise that the safer option to the traditional quad bike is the side by side ATV, which are becoming more popular and which are replacing the traditional quad bikes in many situations.

I would urge any reader of this article who has a quad bike on their property to look at all of the links that have been mentioned in this article and come to your own conclusion as to a safer way forward for you on your property.

* The Deputy Coroner made findings in relation to the deaths of the four people involved in the accident and is yet to hand down final findings in relation to various safety aspects of quad bikes investigated in the three coronial inquests.

 

* Coronial inquest findings links:-
http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/courts/coroners-court/findings

Hoare, Gregory Peter:-
http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/290785/cif-hoare-gp-20140926.pdf

D and F, a child:-
http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/290817/cif-d-f-20140926.pdf

H, a child:-
http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/290763/cif-h-20140926.pdf

Ann Arnold quote:-
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/2015-04-05/6359984

 

 

 

turned_in_notAccidents, Personal Injury
John Formosahttps://www.macamiet.com.au/firm/john-formosa/
John Formosa visits the Cannonvale office and manages the Proserpine office in conjunction with Andrew Telford and has forged close links with the sugar cane industry. He also works closely with local government and is a member of the Queensland Environmental Law Association.
Previous Post
Property settlements under the Family Law Act 1975 where one party has entered into an aged care facility
Next Post
Co-Ownership of Property

1 Comment.

Comments are closed.

Call (07) 4944 2000