Strava Sport Tracking App Cleared in Cyclist’s Death

The personal injury lawsuit against Strava, the GPS tracking app that’s especially popular with avid cyclists, was dismissed on Monday.

The family of William “Kim” Flint II had sued after he died in 2010 as a result of injuries that were sustained while he was apparently trying to set a Strava record on a descent in Tilden Park in Orinda, Calif.

San Francisco Superior Court judge Marla Miller granted a motion for summary judgment on June 3, saying, “Mr. Flint impliedly assumed the risks of bicycling.”

Strava commented in a release today, “The court recognized that Strava, as a neutral online facilitator for a community of athletes, does not control who, where, when, and under what conditions someone may choose to ride a segment (a stretch of road or trail defined by Strava users) and that it did not increase the inherent risks of cycling.”

One of Strava’s big draws is that it sets up a virtual competition between people who ride or run the same segment, awarding the title of “King of the Mountain” to the fastest split of all time. Flint’s family had said that he was “obsessed” with Strava and had set out to regain his KOM when he fatally crashed while going more than 40 miles per hour.

The company’s official statement on the matter is: “The death of Kim Flint was a tragic accident and we reiterate our sincere condolences to the family. We are extremely gratified by the judge’s ruling that demonstrates there was no case against the company. Every cyclist is responsible for their own safety and the safety of those around them. We ask all athletes to exercise common sense when they are running and riding and to encourage good behavior within the community.”