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

Arnold Schwarzenegger is being sued by the cyclist he struck with his SUV earlier this year, who claims that the Terminator star’s “negligent” driving left her with “severe, permanent” injuries and hefty medical bills.

Joanne Flickinger was struck by the 76-year-old former Governor of California, who was driving a GMC Yukon at the time, on 5 February this year 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.

However, the lawsuit, reported by the Los Angeles Times, alleges the Kindergarten Cop actor was driving “with excessive speed and failed to keep a proper lookout” when he hit and seriously injured Flickinger.

The cyclist is seeking damages of more than $25,000 (the exact amount sought is not yet clear) 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.”

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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”.

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.

Despite February’s collision and this week’s subsequent lawsuit, the body builder-turned-actor-turned-politician has long been known for his love of all things two wheels.

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In 2018, he said he wants 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, as well as cycling on the wrong side of the road – straight towards oncoming traffic – while staying in Edinburgh.

In March 2015, he was even pulled over by an Australian police officer for riding a hire bike without a helmet in Melbourne, while a year later police in Munich were forced to step in after the action movie star was spotted cycling through the city’s busy railway station.

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 this 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”.