Safety concerns regarding the Yamaha Rhino have escalated with a lawsuit brought by a couple alleging serious injury and more against the vehicle’s makers.

Krissi and Jason Henry of Texarkana, Texas are demanding a jury trial in their case against Yamaha Motor Corporation, Yamaha Manufacturing, and Yamaha Motor Company.

The couple alleges that they were driving their Rhino on a relatively flat surface when the vehicle rolled onto the passenger side, injuring Krissi’s right leg. They are seeking compensation for health care expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical disability and impairment, disfigurement, lost wages, loss of wage earning capacity, loss of consortium, loss of household services, and more.

This is not the first time safety has been an issue with the Yamaha Rhinos. In 2007, the automaker updated its owner’s manual to include heightened warning of rollover risks, and later sent out notices that it would install doors and handles free of charge to any Rhino owners who had purchased their car in the past four years. This is still an option for owners. See your dealership for details.

Most cases against the Yamaha Rhino claim that the vehicle has a narrow track width and a high center of gravity (making the Rhino dangerously unstable), coupled with a heavy, unpadded roll cage that could injure passengers in case of a rollover.

Yamaha holds that those who have been injured while driving Rhinos were negligent in operation and/or maintenance, and that the Yamaha Rhino has been designed, manufactured, and marketed within all guidelines.

A rural Illinois county has left a dangerous intersection unmarked for fear of incurring liability for injuries.

A couple weeks ago, the intersection of Falcon and Grosbeak Roads in Tamaroa, Illinois claimed another life when a car was struck on the side by a pick-up truck as the two tried to cross at the same time.

Theresa Knapp, who lives in a house on the corner of the intersection, has offered to buy four stop signs and four stop ahead signs to be posted along each road leading up to the four-way crossing. Right now, there is no warning of an intersection, no stop, and a speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Knapp has witnessed many close-calls out her window.

Though the signs would not cost the county any money, the county has yet to accept the offer. Since the intersection has never been marked, the county holds no legal fault for any injuries incurred. If they were to erect signs, the county would become liable if they were stolen or vandalized.

You can’t say Perry County, Illinois does not have its priorities.

A Navarro County jury has awarded a Port O’Connor woman $340,000 for her medical and court bills after a car accident left her seriously injured.

More than two years ago, Julia Murphy was struck by a passenger car while riding her dirt bike down Harrison Street. A car heading in the opposite direction driven by Ben Cravens Jr. made a left-turn off the same street, cutting Murphy off and causing a collision.

Both vehicles were damaged, and Murphy herself sustained serious injuries to her legs and jaw. Her medical bills alone cost almost $200,000. It took two years for her to recover fully enough to take her case to court.

The jury found Cravens 51 percent guilty, and Murphy 49 percent. Cravens’ insurance will pay for all damages, as well as court costs.

Bikes rarely win in collisions, and it’s often driver distraction that causes wrecks of these sorts.