17-Year-Old Virginia Girl Maimed by Yamaha Waverunner Jet Thrust

On July 11, 2020, a minor from King William, Virginia sustained massive, internal orifice injuries when she fell off the back of a personal watercraft and came into contact with the blast of water emanating from the watercraft’s jet thrust propulsion system. At the time of the accident, 17-year-old Danielle Varner was riding as the second passenger on a 2020 Yamaha Waverunner VX Cruiser HO.

Shortly after the accident, which occurred on the Rappahannock River in Richmond County, Virginia, Danielle was rushed to a nearby emergency room for life-saving medical intervention. The water intrusion into her lower body orifices caused massive, mutilating injuries to her rectum and colon and nerve damage in her left leg. The damage to her rectum and colon was so severe that she was forced to undergo the surgical implantation of a colostomy bag. Not unlike other orifice injury accidents, neither Danielle—nor her friend who was driving at the time of the incident—had any idea that this type of life-threatening injury could result from something as common and seemingly harmless as slipping off the back of a personal watercraft.

Yamaha is well aware of the risk of orifice injuries, as it has been sued dozens of times for orifice related injuries, dating back to 1991. Throughout this time, Yamaha has also been well aware of the fact that safer alternative designs exist that would prevent injuries such as those sustained by Danielle from occurring. Despite its knowledge of such alternative designs (which include a raised seatback/backrest, properly designed handholds and properly designed seat straps), Yamaha has chosen to violate core safety engineering principles by trying to warn its way out of a design defect.  Laughery, Kenneth et al. “The Safety Hierarchy and Its Role in Safety Decisions.” www.safetyhumanfactors.org. 

Ms. Varner is being represented by Mazzola Law Firm, PLLC. The case, styled Varner v. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. et al, was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia on May 4, 2021.

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