Mt. Biking - Forest Park 274

A lawsuit filed this week in Multnomah County Circuit Court claims that all but one large fallen tree was cleared from a Hood River mountain biking course in spring 2014. That tree caused Lisa Belair to crash and break her spine in four places, her suit states.

(Stephanie Yao Long/File photo)

A Portland woman who was riding her mountain bike on a Hood River race course when she struck a fallen tree and broke her spine in four places filed a $273,000 lawsuit against the race organizers this week.

Lisa Belair had signed up for the Dog River Super D mountain biking race on May 3 in Hood River, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The race was organized by Fat Tire Farm in Northwest Portland and Hurricane Racing in Government Camp, according to the suit.

Days before the race, a storm had blown down trees along the course, but the event’s organizers assured riders on the race’s website that trail crews had cleared the trail, the suit claims.

Trail crews, however, had failed to remove one tree because it was too large -- and they instead covered it partially with dirt, according to the suit. That created a large jump that wasn't readily identifiable as Belair rode down the hill and onto it, said her Bend attorney, Tim Williams.

Williams said the course was designed to be a “fast” course, not one with large jumps.

Belair, who is in her 40s, was launched through the air. She crushed her C1 vertabra in her neck, and also suffered fractures to her T3, T5 and T7 vertebrae.

“She’s able to walk,” said Williams. “She’s able to ride her bike. But she has a fair amount of pain, constant, and it’s not going away.”

Fat Tire Farm’s owner, Park Chambers, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. A representative from Hurricane Racing couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

The suit was filed just four days after the Oregon Supreme Court last week ruled that a Bend teenager who was paralyzed from the waist down at Mt. Bachelor when he crashed off a jump at a terrain park can go forward with his $21.5 million lawsuit against the ski resort. That's even though he signed the resort's blanket liability waiver to get his season pass. The high court said such waivers were "unconscionable."

It’s unclear what effect -- if any -- last week’s Supreme Court ruling might have on Belair’s case, but liability waivers are a common part of the required registration process for sporting events, especially off-road mountain biking events.

Belair seeks up to $23,307 for past and future medical bills, and lost wages. She also seeks up to $250,000 for pain and suffering.

-- Aimee Green