The legal saga of the Tour de France has more twists and turns than the race. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
Race officials have now withdrawn the case against the woman whose careless sign holding caused a pileup at the Tour de France, because they said it’s been blown out of proportion. Really? 21 people got hurt and it’s blown out of proportion? No way to know for sure what the French strategy is, other than if history is any guide, to surrender, but it’s possible that if France’s laws are like US laws, someone pointed out the race officials would not be absolving themselves of liability just by charging the spectator.
In the US at least, while a person can sue someone who caused him an injury, the person in charge of the venue could also be sued if the venue knew of a potential for injury but failed to take precautions to keep participants safe. Maybe simply saying: “it’s no big deal,” was a way to lay the groundwork for what is, in fact, a pretty strategic defense in case officials are sued.
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