Arnold Schwarzenegger demands total recall of lawsuit filed against him by cyclist who he hit while driving an SUV

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was sued by a cyclist for driving "wrongfully and recklessly" after he hit her with his SUV, has now turned the tables by instead blaming her for "carelessness" and "negligence", while also demanding that the entire lawsuit be thrown out and he be awarded the court costs.

The 76-year-old former Governor of California had hit a cyclist last February with his GMC Yukon on San Vicente Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in the west of Los Angeles, with initial reports suggesting that the cyclist had turned left into Schwarzenegger’s path before he could brake.

Joanne Flickinger, the cyclist, then slapped the Hollywood star known for driving chrome motorbikes and armoured, hunked-up cars in his action movies, but also being quite the cycling aficionado in real life, with a lawsuit accusing him of driving with "excessive speed" and "failing to keep a proper lookout" which left her with "severe, permanent" injuries and hefty medical bills.

Now, according to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Schwarzenegger has denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the civil suit.

> Arnold Schwarzenegger sued by cyclist he hit with SUV, allegedly causing “severe, permanent injuries”

In his newly filed response, Schwarzenegger argued that "[Flickinger] was so careless and negligent about the matters alleged in the Complaint so as to have contributed in some degree to the injuries, damages and/or losses alleged by [Flickinger] and therefore said carelessness and negligence completely bars or eliminates any recovery by [Flickinger]."

(Greg Myers on Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)

In addition, he said any alleged injuries she suffered were caused by third parties outside of his control.

He asked the court, “that in the event they are found liable to [Flickinger], said liability should be reduced by the percentage of fault attributable to [Flickinger], and all other parties, persons, firms, corporations, and entities; and that said liability for non-economic damages of these Defendants is several only, and not joint, so that these Defendants shall be responsible only for the amount of non-economic damages."

> Peter Sagan joins Arnold Schwarzenegger in urging commuters to swap cars for bikes

While the exact amount isn't clear, it had been previously reported that the cyclist is seeking damages of more than $25,000 for “past and future pain and suffering, emotional distress; past and future loss of earnings; past and future loss of earning capacity; past and future medical expenses; past and future healthcare expenses; past and future incidental expenses; and past and future household services."

At the time of the incident in February, TMZ reported that local police and three eyewitnesses said that Flickinger had suddenly swerved across into Schwarzenegger’s lane before he could brake, and that the 76-year-old was not driving at excessive speed when the collision occurred, with one LAPD officer confirming that "no crime was committed".

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However, it was reported that the cyclist noted immediately after the incident that she was in pain, though it was suggested at the time that she had merely suffered "minor" injuries. Schwarzenegger also apparently took the Flickinger’s bicycle to a local bike shop for repairs following the crash.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Greta Thunberg - via Twitter

This incident from last February marked the second time Schwarzenegger has been involved in a traffic incident over the past year. He is also being sued by a woman, Cheryl Augustine, who said she was left 'permanently disabled' when the pair crashed in LA on January 21, 2023, citing Schwarzenegger's "reckless driving". 

In a cruel twist of fate though, Schwarzenegger is a prime example of a celebrity who loves cycling. In 2018, he said he wanted to “bicycle all over the world”, and has been spotted riding with his “friend and hero” Greta Thunberg on a custom gold-painted e-bike in Santa Monica. Maybe he was in need  a brushup of the traffic rules on the other side of the ocean but when visiting Edinburgh in 2016, he was seen cycling on the wrong side of the road – straight towards oncoming traffic.

Schwarzenegger also joined then-world road race champion Peter Sagan in 2017 in urging people to swap their car for a bike for their everyday journeys, as well as publicising research conducted by C40 Cities which highlighted the benefits of an active commute.

And in April last year, he earned the acclaim of long-suffering cyclists everywhere by personally filling in a massive pothole near his house, which Schwarzenegger claimed was “screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks”.