Shriner swarm. Shriners in their signature red fezzess with black tassles are famous for entertaining parade antics in tiny butt-dragging motorized carts. Performances raise money for the lodge’s network of children’s rehabilitation hospitals.
Liability suit: Shriner lodge called negligent
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota chapter of the Shriners has been sued for the death of a lodge leader in a test drive of a motorized mini-cart before the LaCrescent Applefest parade in August. The widow of Ryan Colligan said he was neither trained to drive the tiny stunt cart nor issued a helmet. Ryan, age 45, reportedly hit the brake in a trial run and crashed. The suit seeks a proforma $50,000 minimum but leaves it to a jury to determine a settlement. Colligan recently had been elected as potentate to lead the Osman Shrine lodge. His regular job was environmental services supervisor at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. It should have have been obvious, the suit alleges, that Colligan at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds had a high center of gravity that made maneuvering the cart problematic. The suit notes that Shriners nationwide have since begun requiring safety headgear
Verbatim
Lawsuit: “If the Shriners had taken the very obvious precaution of requiring members to wear a safety helmet while riding in a parade, Ryan would still be alive today. Simple and cost-free steps would have prevented the death of a beloved Shrine leader.”