10 Responses to “Illinois Supreme Court Justice Sues Several Bike Makers”

1. 1 Fritz  on Oct 22nd, 2005 at 11:30 pm

   Kilbride broke his left hip, shoulder and elbow in June or July of 2003. At the time, he claimed he fell after hitting a pothole or some gravel. Since cyclists aren’t “intended users” of the road in Illinois because of the Boub decision, Kilbride couldn’t sue the state or municipality so he went for the manufacturers instead. Jerk.

2. 2 Tim Grahl  on Oct 23rd, 2005 at 8:09 am

   Reminds me of this guy:

   http://bluecollarmtb.com/2005/04/18/jackass/

3. 3 Guitar Ted  on Oct 23rd, 2005 at 1:34 pm

   Hmm…..schooled in law, so he knows his way around the courts, eh? Maybe they should make a deduction for his “unfair” advantage! I mean, how many of us would even think to do something like this guy? There should be a crime for trying to make the law work to your advantage. The guy took a bad spill! His fault, I’d say. Someone should try suing him for deciding to ride a bike, and blame his consequences on someone else!

4. 4 Tim Grahl  on Oct 23rd, 2005 at 1:48 pm

   I think lawsuits should be on a loser pays system. If you lose the lawsuit you have to pay all of the legal costs for the people you sued.

   Make people think twice.

5. 5 Carl  on Oct 23rd, 2005 at 4:20 pm

   I’m with Tim. This kind of thing is sad but… I mean look at the world we live in today. No one is responsible for their own actions… if I slip in the shower, its the tub company’s fault! Some woman got millions just for spilling hot coffee on herself… ugh.

6. 6 Carl  on Oct 23rd, 2005 at 4:21 pm
   
   
7. 7 Michael  on Oct 24th, 2005 at 3:48 pm

   I read an article shortly after the accident happened, he admitted it was his fault, and that was over two years ago. What the hell? Two years ago? give me a break! I wonder if I can sue Bic since they are the reason I missed spelled words back in high school, which lead to me feeling sorry for myself, which gave me low self-esteem, which in turn made me feel depressed, which in turn lead to my drug use, which lead me to betting my wife, which lead to me going to jail, which lead me to commit suicide. So, my wife decides to sue Bic for the cause of my death. Boy, I feel better. Justice Kilbride take responsablity for YOUR actions or lack there of!! What a weasle

8. 8 Michael  on Oct 24th, 2005 at 3:52 pm

   Correction: miss spelled
   Sue HP for letting me use wrong words and improper grammer

9. 9 Tina  on Oct 31st, 2005 at 1:23 am

   Thomas Kilbridge suffered a multiple of injuries. He is a good biker. He is also a man of integrity. The newspaper often prints what it wants to print, not necessarily the truth. If he felt it was his fault, he would not be suing. He has a record of checking things out first. His record leads us to believe he does not want anyone else hurt if the risk of injuries can be prevented by a correction in the manufacturing of the bike. Unfortunately, manufacturers of any product rarely change design unless sued. Our world dares us to sue by more often than not refusing to communicate reasonably from the beginning and to volunteer design change for the betterment of its consumers.

10. 10 Tina Add  on Oct 31st, 2005 at 1:58 am

    Wanted to clarify, that when someone is hurt from a malfunction of a product, manufacturers rarely correct that malfunction by a design change unless sued. Manufacturers make changes more often than not for the betterment of its bottom line rather than for the betterment of its consumers. Often, “new and improved” means it is “new” and “improved” the manufacturers bottom line. It did not necessarily improve its product for the betterment of its consumer.

    For example, it was reported an engineer found the temperature control in a “new and improved” curling iron his wife bought was defective. When it read low temp, it was actually very hot. Hot enough to give you a third degree burn. When this was discovered on his wife’s first use and the engineer brought it to the manufacturer’s attention, Customer Service replied, “Must have been something you did. No one else has sued us over it.” The engineer never spoke of “suing”, but expressed his concern someone might get hurt with this batch of curling irons and this defect if not looked into and corrected.
    The response led the engineer to believe the only way to get a reaction from the company was to sue. He did and the curling iron was removed from retail shelves and a recall given. The end result–indeed the temperature control was found defective in a very large batch dispersed across the US.

    SCJ Thomas Kilbride may be suing the manufacturer(s) to motivate the company(ies) to properly respond to a serious potential defect. Bottom line, hope the defect, should it be found to be true, is corrected for the peace of mind and future welfare of others.

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