PITTSBURGH – According to a local man, the foam pit at an indoor mountain bike and BMX bike park in Pittsburgh was defective and it led him to suffer two broken ankles and other injuries.
Christopher Lang filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Sept. 1 versus The Wheel Mill, L.P., of Pittsburgh.
According to the suit, nearly two years ago, Lang visited The Wheel Mill, an indoor mountain bike and BMX bike park full of ramps and trails for riders of all skill levels.
“On Nov. 27, 2021, Lang visited The Wheel Mill with his nephews. The Wheel Mill is comprised of several rooms or areas featuring ramps and trails geared toward different types of riders of various skill levels,” the suit says.
“One of the rooms is the ‘Foam and Resi Room,’ which includes a foam pit located at the end of a ramp where, according to The Wheel Mill’s website, riders can attempt tricks off the ramp and land in the foam to ‘learn how to shake some of that fear on new tricks or just get the feeling of jumping…’ Lang had visited The Wheel Mill on several prior occasions and had used the foam pit numerous times without incident on those prior visits.”
The suit adds that in the days leading up to Lang’s visit on Nov. 27, 2021, upon information and belief, the blocks of foam in the foam pit had been replaced with new blocks of foam.
“During this visit on Nov. 27, 2021, Lang rode his bike off the ramp adjoining the foam pit and landed in the pit, as he had done numerous times during prior visits. On this occasion, there was inadequate foam and safety measures. Lang fell to the bottom of the foam pit, and his feet struck the unpadded ground, causing substantial injuries and fractures to his lower extremities,” the suit states.
“As a result of the impact, Lang suffered the following injuries: Broken right ankle, broken left ankle, leg pain, knee pain and back pain. As the result of the aforesaid impact and resultant injuries, Lang has suffered the following damages: He has incurred in the past, and may incur in the future, medical expenses; he has incurred in the past, and may incur in the future, substantial pain, suffering, inconvenience, and the loss of the ordinary pleasures of life; he has permanent scarring and disfigurement; and he has sustained in the past, and may sustain in the future, other emotional, economic and physical harm.”
For a lone count of negligence, the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of the mandatory arbitration limits, exclusive of costs and interest.
The plaintiff is represented by Laura D. Phillips and Joseph R. Froetschel of Phillips Froetschel, in Pittsburgh.
The defendant has not yet secured legal counsel.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-23-010346
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com