Dune buggies can be fun vehicles to drive and ride in if operated properly. Their lightweight frame and wide wheelbase allow occupants to cruise on dirt roads and sand dunes without much trouble, even if the ground slopes upward or downward a bit. But there is one drawback to dune buggies: they provide very little protection in a collision.
One person was killed in Douglas County on Thanksgiving Day when a dune buggy collided head-on with a pickup truck on a backcountry road in the Pinenut Mountains. Around 9:30am on Thursday morning, a dune buggy with two occupants was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed on Sunrise Pass Road a few miles northeast of Minton-Tahoe Airport. The dune buggy reportedly spun out of control and drifted into a lane of oncoming traffic near Juniper Valley Road, where it was struck by a pickup truck. The driver of the dune buggy was pronounced dead at the scene, while the passenger suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to a Reno hospital. No one in the pickup was hurt.
It appears that the fault of this collision lies solely with the driver of the dune buggy. Even though the driver did not survive the crash, the passenger still has the option of filing a personal injury lawsuit against the driver’s estate (unless they are related to each other). This suit could allow the injured victim to receive reimbursement for medical expenses, compensation for lost time at work, and perhaps monetary damages for pain and suffering.