Seattle pays injured cyclist $9.25 million for poorly designed bike lanes

The city of Seattle will pay $9.25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a bicyclist who slammed into a car and suffered a traumatic brain injury while riding in a protected bike lane" near Green Lake, according to attorneys for the injured man.

The settlement came after King County Superior Court Judge Kent Liu found the city was negligent, violated its own standard of care and breached its duty to the bicycle-riding public in designing the bicycle lane, according to court documents.

On June 20, 2024, 24-year-old Aviv Litov was cycling on a newly designed bike lane along Green Lake Drive North when a car turned into a driveway in front of him. According to the lawsuit, the bike lane ran between parked cars and the sidewalk, making it difficult for drivers to see oncoming bike traffic due to the short sightlines designed into the project.

Litov, who was wearing a helmet and traveling at close to 18 mph in a 25-mph zone, slammed into the side of the vehicle, resulting in severe and permanent head and neck injuries and other internal damage, according to court documents.

According to information presented at a Friday news conference announcing the settlement, Aviv was a cook and active outdoorsman. He was part of A Cycling Team (ACT) bicycle racing team and had participated in criterium and road races before the accident.

"He was a pretty well recognized talent as a bicycle racer," said Cory Potts, founder and owner of the Center for Bicycle Repair. "He was dedicated, and he was exceedingly friendly and modest about this all."

Litov was brought to Harborview Medical Center in a coma and spent two months in critical care, his lawsuit said, with a brain injury so severe that it left him partially paralyzed on his left side. His family and attorneys say he has made a "miraculous recovery," and that today he can ride a stationary bike, use a rowing machine and work out at the gym.

However, they say he cannot walk long distances or drive and has lost the peripheral vision in both eyes and is now considered blind.

"I went through one of the most horrific bike crashes possible and if it weren't for the amazing team at Harborview … probably would have died," Litov said in a news release. I also don't think I would have been able to emotionally come through all of this if it weren't for my amazing cycling team and community. I think it's incredibly important that people see cyclists as human beings who deserve to bike through a city safely without being hurt or killed."

Attorney Karen Koehler said the settlement is among the largest ever awarded to a single bicycle rider. She said a lawsuit against the driver of the vehicle remains pending and is set for trial later this month.

The Seattle city attorney's office could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

A string of other lawsuits in recent years - resulting in millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards - have accused Seattle and other municipalities or institutions of failing to keep bicyclists safe.

- In 2024, the University of Washington paid a cyclist and his family $16 million after a crash near Husky Stadium in 2020 left him severely debilitated and in need of round-the-clock care.

- Also in 2024, Seattle paid $5.75 million to settle a lawsuit by two injured bicyclists who blamed city streetcar rails for causing their crashes.

- In 2019, the city paid $1.55 million to a bicyclist who sued after being tossed by streetcar tracks into the path of a Metro bus in May 2015.

- In 2016, a jury awarded $38 million to Thyce Colyn, a bicyclist severely injured after being hit by a Standard Parking valet driver on Eighth Avenue, near the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle.

- Also in 2016, Mercer Island reached a $7.25 million settlement with Margarete Chenoweth, who was paralyzed after a cycling crash, and the city of Seattle agreed to pay $3.5 million to the family of Sher Kung, who was killed by a truck driver making a left turn from Second Avenue downtown.

Information from The Seattle Times archives is included in this story.

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