Eroded Trail Blamed : L.A. Approves $385,714 for Injured Horsewoman

A Glendale woman who fell while riding a horse on a Los Angeles bridle trail and injured her leg will be paid $385,714 in damages by the city because its parks department failed to properly maintain the trail, the City Council agreed Tuesday.

Miriam Dow, 42, was riding her horse down an equestrian ramp along the Los Angeles River Basin on Dec. 5, 1985, when the horse slipped and fell on Dow’s left leg, breaking it.

As a result of surgery, in which a steel rod was inserted, Dow’s leg was shortened nearly an inch. She now limps, suffers from chronic pain and is unable to walk long distances and play tennis or other sports, a city attorney’s report said.

In February, a Los Angeles Superior Court civil trial jury found that the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks had maintained the river ramps in poor condition by failing to properly pack the cement paths with dirt to prevent horses from slipping. The jury awarded Dow the $385,714 that the council approved.

Dow rode on the trail about a week after heavy rains had washed away part of the dirt, causing her horse to slip. City crews had not yet replaced the dirt on an exposed 5- to 6-foot section where the horse slipped.

Caution Sign

Her attorneys contended that at least a caution sign should have been posted at the entrance, warning users that erosion occurs after rainfall.

City parks officials said a caution sign has been installed at the trail’s entrance, warning users to “proceed at their own risk.”

“There was a lot of jury sympathy,” said Deputy City Atty. Mary E. House, who tried the case. “Her attorneys argued that the ramps were dangerous conditions for public property.”

The judge denied a city request for a new trial, House said.

In recommending to the City Council that the award be paid, the city attorney stated that further appeals were not warranted because “there was sufficient evidence to support the verdict and there were not errors of the law committed during the trial.”

The council unanimously approved the payment without comment and sent the item to Mayor Tom Bradley for approval.