A woman who tripped over some twine as she hopped off a hay ride at a U-pick pumpkin field on Sauvie Island is suing the owners for $432,000 -- claiming the popular family tradition of riding out to the pumpkin fields is inherently dangerous.

Debra Goolsby boarded one of the hay wagons -- essentially a flatbed trailer pulled by a tractor -- with her family at

on Sauvie Island on October 17, 2010. Riders sit on bales of hay as they ride a bumpy dirt road to and from the fields. Her suit claims that even though employees provided a step ladder on one side of the wagon, riders "were allowed and encouraged to get on and off the wagon un-assisted from anywhere on the hay wagon."

Goolsby's suit claims that when the wagon stopped, she jumped to the ground, but her foot caught on some hay baling twine "stopping her momentum in mid-air." She "did a belly flop" onto the ground, causing her to suffer a broken elbow that needed replacement. She also suffered "significant bruising," arthritis and tendinitis.

The suit, which was filed earlier this week in Multnomah County Circuit Court, is notable because an estimated 100,000 people this month will visit The Pumpkin Patch. There are more than a dozen other U-pick pumpkin operations in the metro area alone.

Bog Egger -- who has owned the patch at

since 1992 with his wife, Kari -- said their operation is the oldest in Oregon. They took over the patch from his parents and Bob and Mary Schick. The Schicks started the patch in 1967 on the other side of Sauvie Island.

"In the late 1960s, it was unheard of to go out to a pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin," Egger said. "They pioneered it. And now there's a pumpkin patch on every corner."

The bigger ones, such as the Eggers', include elaborate corn mazes that make for great aerial photos, snack shacks that sell caramel apples and kettle corn, farm animal viewing areas and hay rides.

Goolsby and her Milwaukie attorney, Randy Oetken, could not be reached for comment. Goolsby's suit seeks $37,600 for medical bills, $19,200 for lost wages and $375,000 for pain and suffering.

Bog Egger said he believes the hay rides are safe. Posted signs list "specific procedures that every rider needs to follow for loading and unloading," he said. He also hires Scappoose High School students to help visitors on and off the rides on weekends.

He said since Goolsby got hurt nearly two years ago, none of the nearly 200,000 people he says that have visited since has suffered a major injury.

"I think that says something," Egger said.

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