Tour Bus Company Settles With Former Triathlete Left Paraplegic After Accident

Hawaii—a tour bus company has agreed to resolve a lawsuit stemming from a bicycle accident that left a former tri-athlete a paraplegic. John Henderson, 35, participated in several Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii before a Travel Plaza Transportation LLC tour bus struck him on May 2, 2009. Henderson was allegedly riding his bike on the paved shoulder of a highway when the bus struck him and threw him 90 feet, resulting in 28 injuries including multiple pelvic fractures, eight fractured ribs, multiple vertebrae fractures, a spinal cord injury, a tear in his spleen, and a lacerated liver.

Henderson filed his lawsuit on May 13^th last year against the bus company and although is attorney said he is unable to discuss the settlement amount, he did say that Henderson’s medical bills exceed $700,000. Furthermore, Henderson’s doctor estimates that his lifetime care will cost several hundred thousand dollars a year.

Henderson, however, is trying to stay positive despite his condition. In fact, he has returned to some of the activities he used to enjoy with the use of new equipment. For example, he now enjoys swimming with the aid of a specially designed wetsuit that floats his legs. He has also become an advocate for creating public awareness of street safety and the need for drivers to share the road with bicyclists. Specifically, he would like to see a bill pass in the Hawaii state legislature that would make it illegal for a vehicle to pass within three feet of a cyclist.