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Cyclist Sues City Over Bike Path Crash That Left Her Paralyzed

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A high school teacher has sued the city, alleging "careless" design of the lakefront bike trail caused her to crash her bicycle earlier this year, leaving her partially paralyzed.

Jennifer Kraft, 34, was an avid cyclist, hiker, and skier; but that all ended in April, when she fell nine feet after reaching a sudden dropoff in the bike trail near 37th Street.

Kraft's lawsuit alleges the city and the company that built the path failed to place signs or other warnings about a zig-zag pattern that created a sudden drop from the concrete trail.

She was riding on the path around dusk on April 25, and did not see the abrupt drop in the path. She went flying off the edge, landing nine feet below on the concrete trail along the lake's edge. Her helmet shattered on impact, and she suffered extensive injuries, leaving her paralyzed below the chest.

Kraft has made it her mission to make sure others do not suffer the same fate. She said, with no signs or trail markers indicating a sudden drop, the trail appeared continuous, until she went flying off the edge of a zig-zagging ramp.

"I want people to realize … this is a beautiful recreation area, and I want it to be safe for everybody else. I mean, that's what I want. That's the main thing I want out of this, is I want there to be an awareness," she said.

The city declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said warning signs about the dropoff are now posted along the path.

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