Cyclist Suing County After 'Catastrophic' Green River Trail Crash

TUKWILA, WA - A Spokane County man is suing King County over the placement of a bollard along a popular local trail that he claims caused him to experience a "catastrophic" accident. Carl Schwartz was riding along the Green River Trail near Cecil Moses Memorial Park in March when he collided with a bollard, which is stuck in the middle of the trail.

After hitting the bollard, Schwartz fell on his head and fractured his spine. He underwent emergency surgery at Harborview Medical Center immediately following the accident, but is now paralyzed from the neck down. His injuries require him to have round-the-clock medical care, which his lawyers estimate will cost millions of dollars.

The bollard that Schwartz hit is located near where the Green River Trail enters Cecil Moses from the northwest along 27th Avenue South. The bollard is meant to separate pedestrian and bicycle traffic and is painted white. The lawsuit alleges that King County did not "install warning signs or other barriers" to warn cyclists of the obstacle.

"The lighting and the weather that day caused the single white bollard to become inconspicuous to the point where it was undetectable, even to an experienced cyclist," the lawsuit claims. Schwartz was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and was riding about 15 MPH, according to the suit.

Schwartz' lawsuit against King County was filed in Pierce County last week. You can read the full complaint here:

2017 10 17 Schwartz C Complaint for Damages [Filed] by Neal McNamara on Scribd

Image courtesy Davis Law Group