RAGBRAI - The Beginning of the End
A rider on RAGBRAI was killed in 2004 in Crawford County, Iowa. Now, the County has paid $350k to the widow of deceased rider. The county has now BANNED RAGBRAI from coming through that county's roads whatsoever.
"RAGBRAI at this point would not be welcomed in this county because of the lawsuit factors," Dan Muhlbauer, chairman of the board of supervisors, said Thursday. "As long as the laws read the way they do, I don't want them in my county."
The rider was killed after being thrown from his bike when his tire sunk into a "center line crack". You road rider folks know what I mean here. It's something I'm hyper aware of NOT falling into when riding, especially when riding fast or on a downhill.
My assumption was that when you signed up for something where you can possibly go 45MPH on an 18lb carbon rocket...that there was implied danger and that bad stuff happens. I know I'd probably feel different if it was my family here...but for now, I just sit and wonder how long it will be before other cities follow suit.
I am hopeful this would not be the end of RAGBRAI. It is a tremendous event and one that has certainly drawn a lot of attention from people all around the country. While I agree that there is some implied danger in riding at higher speeds on county roads, I also know that claims of this nature for $350,000 are not paid without some neligence on the part of the defendant. I do not believe granting immunity for counties under these circumstances is the way to go.
Rush
Posted by: Rush Nigut | October 13, 2007 at 04:33 PM