Saddle Sore of the Month

This was over on Cycle-licious

I haven't done the Saddle Sore of the Month bit for a long time. And I'm aware that it's only the second day of March, but this one truly deserves it.

Dr. Dlugi, who will hereafter be referred to as "Dick" for obvious reasons, is suing an 11-year-old girl he collided with as she roller skated along the street. He tried to pass her, and allegedly used his bell as a warning. He yelled, "Watch out!" and hit her. Now, anyone who's ridden around pedestrians or skaters knows that their actions can be unpredictable, but Dick apparently didn't allow much room for error. Dick apparently doesn't know dick about kids, either. Dick is suing, though there's no mention of the amount he's seeking. Here's hoping that Dick gets precisely what Dick deserves - dick.




Doctor sues girl, 11, over inline-skating collision

Says her negligence caused injuries in Chester Twp.

BY PEGGY WRIGHT
DAILY RECORD
Thursday, March 1, 2007

A bicycling doctor has sued his then-11-year-old inline-skating neighbor for pain and suffering after they collided on their Chester Township street in 2003.

Their trial is under way in Morristown this week.

Lauren Ellis was inline-skating down her street on a fall afternoon when she collided with an adult neighbor, a prominent fertility doctor, who was bicycling.

Dr. Alexander Dlugi, now 54, sued the child, claiming she was negligent and caused the collision by reacting unreasonably when he approached her from behind on Sugar Maple Row, shouted "watch out" and rang his bicycle bell.

This week, the seven-member jury in the civil trial pitting the endocrinologist against Ellis, now a 15-year-old freshman at West Morris-Mendham High School, heard testimony from the teenager and Dlugi, and opinions from an accident-reconstruction specialist.

The accident expert said on Wednesday Dlugi could have avoided the collision by simply riding around the skater.

(more)