Bike Rider Gets $7M After Tumble at Air Force Academy

A bike rider who was seriously injured when he hit a sinkhole on U.S. Air Force Academy land is entitled to $7 million in damages, the Tenth Circuit said Feb. 12.

An exception to a Colorado law that shields landowners who open their property for recreational purposes doesn’t shield the academy from James Nelson’s Federal Tort Claims Act suit, the opinion by Judge Carolyn B. McHugh said. The court upheld a district court’s ruling in favor Nelson.

The sinkhole was on an easement controlled by the academy. Prior to the accident, Dr. Brian Mihlbachler, a biologist responsible for monitoring erosion ...