Examiner
As reported by the entertainment website TMZ, Lester Wood is suing actor Dennis Quaid for a “flawed trail design” that put his life in danger.
According to court documents, Quaid had given Wood permission to borrow a horse and ride across the star’s property to reach a park in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. During the trail ride, Wood contends, the horse was spooked by sprinklers than came on near the trail. The horse then reared and fell on top of Wood. He admitted he was not wearing a helmet and not paying attention to his horse when it spooked because he was “looking at his watch.”
Wood was admitted to a hospital in critical condition with “a concussion, fractured scapula, torn aorta, multiple pulmonary emboli, broken ribs, a nicked liver, a tear in his bladder, fractured lumbar discs, a shattered pelvis, internal bleeding, and a torn meniscus in his knee,” the lawsuit contends.
This brings several issues into light for the horse world:
“Any time you put someone on a horse you own, common sense dictates you should have him or her sign a liability waiver, especially in the state of Arizona, where without one a rider who is injured while in control of the horse would have the right to sue without a waiver in place.” Said Adam Trenk, Rose Law Group equine law attorney.
Trenk said that in this case Dennis Quaid had a duty to warn Wood about the sprinklers if he knew they were there and would have a liklihood of spooking the horse.
“However, if a liability waiver were in place, under Arizona law, and if Dennis Quaid were unaware of the sprinklers or they were on someone else’s property, he would not be able to be held liable for the injury because Wood was in control of the horse at the time the incident occurred,” Trenk said.
Also:
EAST VALLEY ARABIAN HORSE SHOW COMES TO QUEEN CREEK/San Tan Valley Today
If interested in discussing equine law, you can contact Equine Law Attorney Adam Trenk atrenkroselawgroup.com
