Miami, FL: Yamaha, the manufacturer of the WaveRunner, was recently found 88 percent liable in an incident involving two teenage girls who collided with a boat while riding the craft. The families filed a personal injury lawsuit.
Samantha Archer, who was 15 in 2005 when the accident occurred, sustained traumatic brain injury and degloving injuries when she hit the boat. Her friend, Jaysell Perez, just 14 at the time, was thrown into the boat's propeller and killed. Their families sued Yamaha and owner of the watercraft the girls had used.
Counsel for the defense argued that the vehicle owner and Samantha's mother were to blame for allowing the girls to use the WaveRunner because the girls were underage and had no training in riding the craft. The defense also said that witnesses had said that Samantha didn't release the throttle or attempt to evade the boat.
In addition to finding Yamaha liable, the jury also found Samantha's mother 10 percent liable, Samantha 1 percent liable and the vehicle owner 1 percent liable.
