Injured Bicyclist Wins $3.1 Million Settlement

Settlement provides support to cyclist (5.22.06)

Scott Nelson, a resident of Elk River, Minn., is in a nursing home for life due to a permanent brain injury. A Star Tribune newspaper carrier in an automobile struck him in October 2000 as Scott legally rode his bicycle on Highway 10 in Elk River. After more than five years of litigation, a $3.1 million settlement in his favor will provide support and vindication for Scott and his family, but also a strong precedent for bicyclist rights. Bicycles are legal transportation on Minnesota highways, but attorneys defending the driver/sub-contractor, the carrier, and The Star Tribune Company claimed that Nelson assumed the risk of traveling by bicycle on a busy highway. Nelson's attorney, Fred Soucie of Soucie & Bolt, proved with expert testimony from John S. Allen, national author and certified League of American Bicyclists Cycling instructor; and Kirby J. Beck, author of "The Complete Guide to Police Cycling," that Nelson was following the rules of the road at the time of the collision.

Return to top