A week and a half ago I picked up a new Yamaha Kodak 700 EPS. It is my first ATV. Two days later I was up in the mountains by myself and rolled it over myself trying to back up on a steep hill. Nothing broken but I have soft tissue crush injuries on my leg, arm and shoulder. I also have some nerve damage that will hopefully resolve itself.

But for the grace of God I’m not still up on the mountain. I didn’t tell my wife where I was riding, and I found out after the accident that there was no cell coverage. Thank goodness I was wearing a helmet, since it is now scratched/gouged. I have now also purchased chest, back, shoulder and elbow armor. Good riding boots are next. I thought the gear would be too expensive after shelling out for the Kodak, but guess what—Dr. bills are significantly more expensive, and they are still mounting.

As for the ATV, it took me an hour to dig it out of the hole it dug itself into. After the roll it landed right side up and drove into a tree and pegged the thumb throttle because of bent handlebars. At least I was able to dig it out and ride it out because I wouldn’t have been able to walk out. This has been a very expensive lesson.

Wow, given what could have happened, you are really fortunate to even be posting. ATV's have increased in size and speed over the years to the point that those big ones are too big for the casual recreational rider. Most of my buddies including me went bigger with dirt bikes and I did tell myself that I was going to get hurt riding a Husqvarna racing bike. Buddies did admit that we had more fun on our outings when we all had the 100-125 cc Honda and Kawasaki bikes. A tree missing some bark by the cabin where a guy broke his leg is a good reminder.

Look at a tether kill switch to go with that protective gear.

Glad you’re mostly ok! About the gear cost…back many years ago when I raced quads in motocross and supercross, the saying was “if ya got a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet”. We spent a lot of money on gear!

Doc_Holidude

My outlook towards riding gear changed the day that I broke a knee pad in half.

Tell me about it. Was deer hunting with my Daughter and going up a steep path it suddenly ended. It was pretty level where I was so I turned around. Where Daughter Sandi was it was steeper when she tried to turn around. All I saw was the quad rolling over her. I reached for my celll phone as I knew she would be badly injured and I would need help. Miracle of the ages after it rolled over her she stood up looking a little dazed but OK. When it rolled, it was in a bit of a depression so it didn't get her much but it sure screwed up her rifle. In retreiving it so we could get out of there I learned how smart I was to get a winch on mine to get it up the bank. Lessons learned the hard way.

I'm glad you are alright. My daughter was also in a quad accident recently (7-5) and broke her arm, so this hits home for me. Sometimes you don't realize how dangerous these things can really be until you witness it first hand!!! "Great basin", are you in Nevada now? That's where my daughter got hurt and there was also no cell service. Got her down to the ER as quick as we could though..


Thanks god your daughter seemed pretty unharmed. Its a definite eye opener.. All else can be lost and broken, but when it comes to our kids, they are irreplaceable..

A tether kill switch … I’ll have to look into that.
As I was struggling for an hour to dig it out I thought, “A winch would sure be nice right now.” Of course two days earlier when I bought the Kodiak I reasoned I wouldn’t need a winch in the high desert. Just like I reasoned I didn’t need more protective gear.

BSA, yes, I’m in northern Nevada. I hope your daughter recovers quickly.