Legislators consider limits on personal injury lawsuits

State legislators hoped to get judiciary committee approval this week for a bill that would limit personal injury lawsuits stemming from incidents at popular recreation areas.HB 6557, An Act Concerning Liability for the Recreational Use of Lands, is a response to a personal injury lawsuit decided last year, in which a Rocky Hill woman was awarded $2.9 million after she broke her neck in a bicycle accident. Maribeth Blonski of Rocky Hill sued the Metropolitan District (MDC) in 2002 after she collided with a steel gate at the district’s West Hartford reservoir. Despite reports that Blonski had been traveling in the wrong direction and not looking where she was going, a jury declared her only 30 percent responsible for the collision, with the MDC primarily negligent for not posting a sign declaring the gate closed.The decision sent shock waves through the legal and outdoor-enthusiast communities, and forced municipalities to reconsider their policies on keeping recreation areas open to the public. MDC announced last year that it was considering closing all bike trails and swimming areas to the public, and an outcry from residents followed. Connecticut legislators began scrambling to come up with legislation that would grant towns and organizations like the MDC immunity from litigation.More than 700 people appeared at an MDC town meeting regarding the issue last July, and hundreds have testified in support of changes. Legislators introduced 14 different bills, with 35 different supporters, to address the problem. State Representatives Kevin Witkos (R-17) and John Rigby (R-63) were early proponents of legislation that would exempt the MDC from litigation.In January, HB 6557, An Act Concerning Liability for the Recreational Use of Lands, was drafted, with 21 cosponsors signing on. The act, which has strong bipartisan support, would grant immunity from personal injury litigation to municipalities, political subdivisions of the state and special districts which own publicly traveled recreation areas.In a letter to members of the Connecticut Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Chairman Tim Linehan wrote this week that the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association, the Sierra Club and more than 20 other organizations were lobbying for passage of HB 6557. There was an increased push for approval by members of the Joint Committee on Judiciary this week, with Friday, April 15, marking the deadline for action.State Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64) said Monday that she believes the bill will make it through committee and get a shot at passage in the General Assembly. “We need to close the loophole and give some protection to towns from personal injury lawsuits,” Willis said. “We all incur risks when we go out hiking. I went out hiking this past weekend and I thought I was going to break my neck because the trail was just ice. It was challenging. But if I slipped and did myself in, it would have been my own responsibility.”As one of the proponents of early legislation on the issue, Willis said Connecticut residents should be free to explore designated recreation areas without fear that they’ll be shut down the next time someone breaks an ankle.“The threat of litigation not only puts the fear of God into a town, but it also increases the liability insurance costs,” Willis said. “The bottom line in our area is that outdoor recreation is part of who we are in the Northwest Corner. Hiking, biking and boating are all things that we enjoy, and we are seeing an increasing public investment in recreational land. I think there’s an expectation when we make those investments that the public is going to have access to enjoy these places for recreation.”Despite some resistance from trial lawyers, Willis predicted HB 6557 would make it through the judiciary committee this week and eventually make it to the House floor. “There is no cost connected to this, so I would assume it could pass relatively quickly,” she said. If voted into law, the provisions would become effective Oct. 1, 2011.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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