March 6, 2006 — An Ontario youth has been awarded $3.5 million in damages after being seriously injured while riding a defective bike. A legal tribunal recently ruled that bike manufacturer Procycle (Quebec) and distributor Canadian Tire are responsible for financially remunerating the damages resulting from an accident involving 15-year-old Nathan Resch.

In the summer of 1998, Fort Erie resident Resch was riding his CCM bicycle when the suspension on his mountain bike failed, throwing him violently to the ground. As a result of the crash Resch suffered a concussion and deep cuts to his face. Three days prior to the accident, Resch had returned the bike to his local Canadian Tire store following a manufacturer’s recall of the bike line for defective functioning of the suspension system. When in the store, employees claimed that they didn’t have the replacement parts to fix the bike at the time, and sent Resch home with the same bike,

The three companies named in the suit were Groupe Procycle Inc., an associated distribution company, Gestion R-A-D, and hardware giant Canadian Tire Inc.