There seems to be a growing trend as of late, cyclist suing other cyclist for negligence. At the moment there are two trials going on; one in Scotland (link) and one in Australia (link). In both cases a cyclist left quadriplegic from crash is suing the spandex off the opposing rider.
"I have said this quite a few times to many people, that the accident was preventable if the proper riding position and proper hand position was being adopted," (Telfer, of Scotland) said.Now we are all too familiar with this concept in the world of automobiles, where suing another driver is something you do while exchanging insurance information. Also very common is the cyclist suing a driver after being hit, or in rare bizzaro cases the other way around.
This is a worrisome trend as it echoes the litigious behavior of those behind the wheel. After a few more trials and court decisions, will cyclist still regard each other in the same comradely fashion? Will the brethren of the bike still give each other "the nod" when they pass? Or will they be worried about being sued for having too much float in their cleats if they wreck? Maybe after enough lawsuits, when we throw a leg over the bike we will see fellow cyclists as just another threatening driver and treat them as such.
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2 comments:
If I was left quadriplegic I'd be trying to sue someone too, that kind of severity of accident is hardly run of the mill and if that's the basis of your whole argument then I'm afraid I just don't get it...
The point is that this person is being sued for not adopting "proper riding position and proper hand position". This accident sounds terrible and a horrifying thought to be on either side. It was also an accident. I'm not sure what I would do in this situation myself if on the receiving end of such an altercation. I'm just pointing out that this is where it begins. The more cases like this arise, the more people will decide that things like "proper riding position and proper hand position" need to be governed. Eventually leading to an unfriendly atmosphere where cyclists have to worry about "proper riding position and proper hand position" instead of enjoying themselves, saving gas, being healthy etc, and that would be truly terrible.
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