GOLDEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A man who suffered serious injuries while driving in a rented Jeep on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan is suing the Jeep rental company for millions.
WOODTV reports John Ross, a doctor from the Chicago area, has filed a lawsuit seeking $7.5 million from Parrot's Landing after suffered serious spinal injuries during a family vacation last August.
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"My life has been absolutely ruined, completely changed," Ross told WOODTV. "I’m unable to do anything, really.”
Last August, Ross, his 16-year-old son and their friends decided to rent a Jeep from Parrot's Landing, which included an hour of guided time followed by an hour on their own.
Ross was driving the Jeep when, according to police reports, it crested a steep dune too fast and went airborne. The Jeep came down on its front.
“Then we rolled over and I shattered my cervical spine,” Ross explained to WOODTV.
Ross had multiple fractures and compressions that left him incapacitated and unable to return to his family practice back in Chicago.
“They market and advertise this as a safe, fun, family-friendly activity and they hide this incredible history of rollovers from those customers," Grand Rapids attorney Stephen Hulst of Rhoades McKee P.C. told WOODTV.
Lawyers for Ross say the Jeep rental company has had several customer-involved rollovers since 2012, and say there isn't enough training to allow people to drive the dunes on their own.
A representative from Parrot's Landing told WOODTV that it rents more than 5,000 vehicles during its four month season every year and when people follow the rules, they can have fun and be safe.