Two bike crashes in quick succession on the Boise Greenbelt. Now, a claim against the city
Weeks after a woman from Emmett died of head injuries after crashing her bike on the Boise Greenbelt, another biker has put the city on notice.
An Eagle resident filed a tort claim against the city after suffering a brain bleed, head laceration and broken collarbone, among other injuries, according to the claim, which was obtained by the Idaho Statesman through a public records request. She said she sustained the injuries in early August while riding an electric bicycle with her husband on the Greenbelt, traveling toward Eagle.
Tort claims are typically filed as precursors to a potential lawsuit. The woman’s claim did not say how much money she was seeking in damages, and she did not respond to emails requesting comment for this story.
The biker lost control when she went over a tree root that was protruding from the Greenbelt in the Lake Harbor section of the trail, according to the claim. She said her husband, who was biking with her, came around the corner to find her unconscious.
Both bikers crashed in the same general area, Doug Holloway, the city’s Parks and Recreation director, previously told the Statesman. Holloway said he could not confirm whether they were in exactly the same location. KIVI-TV, which first reported the fatal crash, said both collisions were in the same spot on the trail.
The portion of the Greenbelt where the fatal crash occurred has since been repaired, Holloway said Monday. He declined to comment further, citing pending litigation.
The parks department and city’s Risk and Safety Team, are responsible for maintaining and upgrading the 25 miles of the trail along the Boise River, and work to identify and repair hazards — but the department does not typically hear about crashes or incidents unless a Greenbelt user reaches out, Holloway said.
Holloway’s team employs “short-term fixes,” smoothing out or highlighting areas of concern with red spray paint to alert users until it can perform repairs, he said. And it’s about halfway through a long-term effort to convert the city’s portion of the path — originally paved with asphalt — to cement. There is no timeline to complete the project.
This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
