RAGBRAI Death caused by Road Grader Crash Seems Preventable

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Large Damage, Major-Serious Injury and Death Cases

8/13/2009
Steve Lombardi
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RAGBRAI Death caused by Road Grader Crash Seems Preventable

On July 24th 2009, a RAGBRAI rider Todd R. Lohman of Moline Ill. collided with a road grader near Germanville, Iowa. The crash happened at 2:30 p.m. and the cyclist suffered life ending injuries. Iowa State Trooper Chass Ossian said the cyclist, “was on the wrong side of the road. The road grader didn’t do anything wrong. It was on the shoulder”. While the grader was said to have been going about 5 to 10 mph it is still unknown how fast the cyclist was going. A witness told the state patrol that Mr. Lohman, “was riding in the oncoming lane, with his head down, passing other bycyclists.” The driver of the road grader Ricky Lee Watson of Richland was said to be on his side of the road with two wheels on the shoulder. Could more have been done to protect Mr. Lohman? With whom does the responsibility fall to protect RAGBRAI riders? Should we be allowing things like road graders on the same path as thousands of bikers?

It's not like the daily RAGBRAI route is a secret. There is an undercurrent to the Iowa populous that doesn't seem to want to be very hospitable to this event. It's too bad because it brings in badly needed revenues.

Labels: bicycle crash death heavy equipment injury iowa lawyer or attorney Lombardi road grader

Welcome to the Lombardi Law Firm website. Knowing your rights and how to protect yourself is important. Always be alert to risks that can cause you injury or get you killed. Steve Lombardi provides commentary and insight on this blog, The Verdict and also writes for the Iowa Edict and on occasion on the Des Moines Register web site. Steve Lombardi has more than 30 years in civil litigation including death and injury cases for workers and their spouses for all types of accidents and injuries. Attorney Steve Lombardi is a personal injury lawyer. Join us in making the world a safer place. (515-222-1110 or sdlombardi@aol.com )
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3 Comments to "RAGBRAI Death caused by Road Grader Crash Seems Preventable"

That's great news. We don't need more deaths that cause more bad press and sentiment against this great Iowa adventure.

Posted by Steve Lombardi on August 13, 2009 at 12:10 PM

I should have included in my previous comment that your article linked to even stated that "the cyclist who crashed into a grader in Jefferson County was treated and released." I certainly hope you pay more attention to details when working on legal cases.

Posted by mathman72 on August 13, 2009 at 11:45 AM

The only death on RAGBRAI this year was that of a 69-year-old professor from Missouri who lost control of his bike going down hill on the final day of the ride.

Posted by mathman72 on August 13, 2009 at 11:42 AM