Published December 29, 2014 12:00AM
Mountain Biker Sues Race Group Over Injury
Seeks compensation for broken back
The mountain biker said that race organizers did not properly clean up the trail before the race, which led to her accident. (Photo: gloogun/Flickr)
Portland mountain biker Lisa Belair has filed suit against organizers of the Dog River Super D bike race after she took a spill on the course and fractured her spine in four places in May 2014, the Oregonian reports.
Belair says trees along the race route that had toppled during a storm days before the event hadn’t been cleared, despite assurances from the race organizers that they had been. A large tree that had fallen across the course couldn’t be moved in time, so race workers covered it with dirt, turning it into a jump that riders weren’t prepared for, Belair says. She hit the jump and crash-landed. Her attorney told the Oregonian that Belair is able to walk and ride, albeit painfully.
Belair is suing Fat Tire Farm and Hurricane Racing for $273,000. Of that amount, $23,300 is for medical bills and lost wages, and the remainder is for pain and suffering.
