In Utah, I took a friend for a ride on my motorcycle. He is 30 years old and it pretty good physical condition. I made a right hand turn into traffic and then accelerated and he fell off the back. He was not holding on to me, but I thought he was secure on the back. He was (or says he was, I can't verify it) holding on to the handles on each side of the seat. He says that I accelerated too fast and he couldn't hold on, so his injuries are my fault. I think that he bears some responsibility too. I didn't want to make a claim with my insurance company, but he had bills piling up and missed a couple weeks of work. He had no serious injuries, but his knee swelled up and he couldn't work (he is a carpenter). My insurance offered him $1200 for missed work and to pay for the medical bills ($500-$1000). He wants more. He says it still might be a while before he goes back to work. I think he is not taking care of his sore knee by staying off it and it might be getting worse. He doesn't seem to want to accept any responsibility for assuming any of the risk in riding.
Who is at fault here? What should I do?
[This message has been edited by tekgooroo (edited June 30, 2000).]
Who is at fault here? What should I do?
[This message has been edited by tekgooroo (edited June 30, 2000).]