[MqtRider]

Why are people so mad when they get hurt from mountainbiking? The risk is there, we all know it, that something BAD could go wrong. To think that you must be compencated for risk that one takes is dumb. If you think you could get hurt and don't like the thought, don't get on your bike!


Sun, April 17, 2005

Lawsuit a threat to trails
CYCLISTS FEAR FOR SPORT
By TRACY MCLAUGHLIN, SPECIAL TO THE SUN

A MOUNTAIN biker who launched a million-dollar lawsuit after falling off his bike has lit a fire under Collingwood area bike enthusiasts who fear the suit will close their trails. James Leone is suing the Toronto Outing Club and its Kolapore Uplands Wilderness Ski Trails Committee as well as the Town of The Blue Mountains, the Grey-Bruce Trails Network and the province for an accident he had while mountain biking last August.

The 31-year-old personal injury lawyer from Toronto claims he suffered fractured vertebrae and several soft-tissue injuries when his bicycle came to an abrupt stop after hitting a hole in the trail, sending him over the handlebars.

"It's a crying shame," said "die-hard" mountain biker Mark Derrick, who helped organize a meeting of concerned bikers in Collingwood yesterday.

"We have hundreds of miles of amazing trails in this area and most of us realize that if you take on this sport, you take on a challenge and a risk." He said his wife, Lynn, has dislocated her shoulder by falling on the trails twice but never considered a lawsuit.

"This suit does cause a concern that the trails will be threatened," said trail specialist with the International Mountain Bike Association, Laura Woolner. "The case could set a precedent for other cases in Ontario and that could have an enormous impact on non-profit clubs who will have to purchase huge amounts of insurance to keep trails open. Essentially it could shut them down," she said.

 

[e<i>o]

Nice to know there are sue-happy scum bags in Canada too.

All personal injury lawyers should be lined up and beaten into gelatanous bloody puddles.

 

[Shibby]

Well, this is just fricking awesome. Collingwood has some really nice trails. This should scare off anyone thinking of building stunts or anything remotely interesting into any of our trail systems. Guess I'll start looking at rigid bikes for the paved bike paths that are soon going to be the only trails in existence around here.

 

[carolinarider]

man that sucks, i dont think that the trails should have anything to worry about though. because anyone that knows anything about biking knows that their are personal risks that you take. it is his own fault that he ran into a hole, you could do that anywhere...
dumbass.

 

[WWT]

Wow...

I always thought lawsuits like this were very uncommon in Canada. I guess we just live in a very litigious society, and people want to blame others for their mistakes. I guess there are money hungry scumbags everywhere...

 

[JSUN]

Personally I think it's the lawyers that convince everyone to sue eachother. People go crying to their lawyers about something, and the lawyers find countless manipulative ways to make money from it, rather than telling you not to wast your time. In this case, the rider is a lawyer himself, and a stupid one at that, since he doesnt know that he's responsible for his actions. That hole he ran into might as well have been a pool of molten lava, since he's just too stupid to look where he's going.

 

[JM01]

Well, this is just fricking awesome. Collingwood has some really nice trails. This should scare off anyone thinking of building stunts or anything remotely interesting into any of our trail systems. Guess I'll start looking at rigid bikes for the paved bike paths that are soon going to be the only trails in existence around here.

its there!...the georgian trail works for all the condo owners...very smooth, very flat, very boring

 

[gtbikesalltheway]

dang it I knew I shouldve sued when my front tire hit a stump sticking out of an embankment and flipped over the bars injuring my knee cap IDIOTS!! these days gosh

 

[JM01]

Why are people so mad when they get hurt from mountainbiking? The risk is there, we all know it, that something BAD could go wrong. To think that you must be compencated for risk that one takes is dumb. If you think you could get hurt and don't like the thought, don't get on your bike!

Sun, April 17, 2005

Lawsuit a threat to trails
CYCLISTS FEAR FOR SPORT
By TRACY MCLAUGHLIN, SPECIAL TO THE SUN

A MOUNTAIN biker who launched a million-dollar lawsuit after falling off his bike has lit a fire under Collingwood area bike enthusiasts who fear the suit will close their trails. James Leone is suing the Toronto Outing Club and its Kolapore Uplands Wilderness Ski Trails Committee as well as the Town of The Blue Mountains, the Grey-Bruce Trails Network and the province for an accident he had while mountain biking last August.

The 31-year-old personal injury lawyer from Toronto claims he suffered fractured vertebrae and several soft-tissue injuries when his bicycle came to an abrupt stop after hitting a hole in the trail, sending him over the handlebars.

"It's a crying shame," said "die-hard" mountain biker Mark Derrick, who helped organize a meeting of concerned bikers in Collingwood yesterday.

"We have hundreds of miles of amazing trails in this area and most of us realize that if you take on this sport, you take on a challenge and a risk." He said his wife, Lynn, has dislocated her shoulder by falling on the trails twice but never considered a lawsuit.

"This suit does cause a concern that the trails will be threatened," said trail specialist with the International Mountain Bike Association, Laura Woolner. "The case could set a precedent for other cases in Ontario and that could have an enormous impact on non-profit clubs who will have to purchase huge amounts of insurance to keep trails open. Essentially it could shut them down," she said.

My little kid does Kolapore, tell me its not that challenging. This lawyer sounds like a city rider who couldn't get a tee-off time and decided to try something new. Lots of fools up here.

 

[006_007]

Unbelieveable.

Sounds very similar to what happened to me up at Whistler last year. The thought NEVER crossed my mind to sue. I knew the risks. The only person I could sue and have a clear consience would be to sue myself for doing a bonehead move and landing on my head.

If this keeps up what is going to stop someone form going to one of these big resorts, have an "accident" and attempt a big payoff. Might be easier then winning the lottery.

Keep it real homies.

 

[dante]

not say whether lawsuits are right or not, there's a good story in the May issue of Decline that talks about the whole story behind the lawsuit that's threatening Big Bear. I'm not going to get into the whole story, but regardless of whether you think that lawsuits are justified or not, its definitely not a black/white issue. Just a thought.

dante

 

[TNC]

You guys are all wrong! Didn't you read the story? The poor fellow ran into a hole. A hole?...by God anyone riding an off road trail who has to encounter a hole deserves all the millions of dollars they can get...and any rocks on that trail that cause an accident should require a few more million. I don't know what's wrong with you guys. The reason I have 6-7 inches of travel on my bikes is strictly for hemmoroid relief. I'd better not see any irregularities on my trail or heads are going to roll. And if a rain storm comes up during the night, someone better be out on the trail by morning clearing those erosion ruts. By golly I want trails that are totally safe, or I want a million bucks. I'm going to Moab at the end of the month and bringing my attorney. The trails there are pretty flat and safe aren't they? If not, I'm having my financial advisor on standby. Show me the money!

 

[JSUN]

You guys are all wrong! Didn't you read the story? The poor fellow ran into a hole. A hole?...by God anyone riding an off road trail who has to encounter a hole deserves all the millions of dollars they can get...and any rocks on that trail that cause an accident should require a few more million. I don't know what's wrong with you guys. The reason I have 6-7 inches of travel on my bikes is strictly for hemmoroid relief. I'd better not see any irregularities on my trail or heads are going to roll. And if a rain storm comes up during the night, someone better be out on the trail by morning clearing those erosion ruts. By golly I want trails that are totally safe, or I want a million bucks. I'm going to Moab at the end of the month and bringing my attorney. The trails there are pretty flat and safe aren't they? If not, I'm having my financial advisor on standby. Show me the money!

HAHAHHA...youre too funny..

 

[Dirtdemon]

That fool was probably on his cell phone! I hope you guys have smarter juries than we do in the US. That is what really trips me out, how do the juries agree with these idiots?

 

[WWT]

What an idiot...

I think you're right, it sounds like the guy who got hurt is an attorney--it should be against the law for lawyers to buy anything that could be "dangerous."

What's next, is he going to sue the company who makes his front fork for not rolling over the hole? This is just stupid--I mean come on, who is he going to sue for making the hole? God!

It didn't sound like his injuries were too serious; it didn't say anything about him being paralized. I just can't see him getting millions of dollars when he is going to recover from his injuries--soft tissue injuries are not worth millions of dollars. I'm sure he has already recovered and is chasing ambulances, again!

 

[Lighty_]

I think this had been posted in another forum. I doubt this guy has much of a case, and it's too soon to say what kind of impact this case will have on land managers.

Unfortunately, the article is short on facts and long on commentary (neatly tucked inside quotation marks). Truly, it's sensationalist journalism at its best.

Personally I think it's the lawyers that convince everyone to sue eachother. People go crying to their lawyers about something, and the lawyers find countless manipulative ways to make money from it, rather than telling you not to wast your time. In this case, the rider is a lawyer himself, and a stupid one at that, since he doesnt know that he's responsible for his actions. That hole he ran into might as well have been a pool of molten lava, since he's just too stupid to look where he's going.

Not to threadjack, but this sounds almost like the "devil made me do it" argument. You make sound as though otherwise virtuous and honest people are manipulated by lawyers into filing lawsuits. How do the lawyers convince them to do it other than with the lure of big bucks? That means we obviously have a lot of people in our society who are enamoured by the idea of making a quick buck. Let's not pretend these people aren't willing participants. Lawyers didn't invent greed. Frivolous lawsuits and the lawyers who file them are a symptom, not the cause of the social ill.

 

[dirtdonk]

sounds like a good time for a good old fashioned lynchin'

 

[Zonk0u]

personal injury lawyers are the scum of the earth. they should all be rounded up, shot in the head, and parted out for people on organ doner waiting lists.