10.11.2007

Screw You, Crawford County

The board of supervisors of Crawford County, Iowa, has decided to ban RAGBRAI, the Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, from its county because of a lawsuit for which they settled with the plaintiff for $350,000. Betty Jo Ullrich, of Davenport, sued the county following the death of her husband, Kirk Ullrich, who died in 2004 while riding through Crawford County on RAGBRAI. Mr. Ullrich got the front tire of his bike stuck in the crack in the center of the road while riding down a hill at a high rate of speed. He was thrown from his bike and killed by the impact. I was actually stopped at the top of the hill two hills back from where the accident occurred. It was the second accident to happen on that hill that day.

Mrs. Ullrich was contending that the accident was, in part, the county's fault since they didn't have the road maintained well enough and failed to warn people about the danger following the first accident. Now it shouldn't take a genius to realize that riding a bike with skinny tires on a road with cracks on it can be potentially dangerous! Since riding on my first RAGBRAI in 2000, I have always paid close attention to the road on which I am riding. It's too bad that Mrs. Ullrich felt the need to sue someone over her husband's death which was probably as much his fault as it was anyone else's.

Even with Crawford County now banning RAGBRAI from the confines of its borders, there are still 98 counties in which RAGBRAI can go for now. Unless other counties follow suit, the rest of the state is still open for the ride. As for Crawford County, I plan on boycotting any businesses there, and I will not be passing through there. Of course, that won't affect them at all since I probably wouldn't have been there anyway, but if they don't want me and my bike there, I'll just stay away. Hopefully this isn't then beginning of the end of RAGBRAI.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Look on bike Iowa. there is a banned Ride planned for June 21 2008. Bring beer and bail money. Banned Rebel Leader.