The families of two women who burned to death after their Polaris four-wheeler tipped over last year have sued Polaris Industries, alleging that unsafe fuel pump and gas cap designs were responsible for the tragedy.
Polaris, under fire for a string of recalls involving its ATVs, denied on Friday that its design contributed to this particular crash, saying the challenging mountain trail where the women drove — called Tip-Over Challenge — was the cause.
"The safety of our riders is our absolute top priority. We are saddened by last year's tragic accident and offer our deepest condolences to the riders' families," the company said in a statement. "The lawsuit and accident involve a rollover crash in an expert riding area. Our investigation and all available information confirms that the accident was not caused by any defect."
The wrongful death lawsuit, delivered Thursday to Hennepin County District Court, was brought by Kim Schwitzer, the mother of victim Destiny Dixon, and by Ashleigh Swann, the daughter of victim Debbie Swann. Witnesses Greg Priore and Floyd Ingram, who were part of the victims' riding group, also joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs.
Court officials said Friday that the families' lawsuit had been received and will be officially filed and assigned a case number in the next few days.
Debbie Swann and Dixon were killed Sept. 2, 2016, after the 2010 Polaris Ranger 800 they were driving tipped over slowly while they were ascending a steep trail in Moab, Utah.
The complaint, citing an investigation by the Sheriff's Department there, said when the slow-moving vehicle tipped over on the passenger side, the gas cap hit the ground and broke off, releasing "a lethal amount of gasoline which then ignited."
While Priore and Ingram were rushing to help, the vehicle burst into flames, instantly killing the occupants, the complaint said.