BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Two people are suing the City of Bellingham over claims they were injured at sites where the city recently made street-safety upgrades.

Bellingham City Council members discussed two separate lawsuits against the city in a closed session on Monday, Nov. 17.

The first lawsuit was filed on Oct. 28 by a man who alleges the city’s negligence led to a collision near the intersection of Holly Street and Cornwall Avenue on Dec. 24, 2024. According to the complaint, the man says he injured his leg after a driver turned into an alley off Holly Street and hit him while he was riding his electric scooter in the bike lane.

He named both the city and the driver in the lawsuit.

The second suit was filed earlier this month by a pedestrian who was hit by a car while using a crosswalk on Eldridge Avenue in January of this year. The woman also named both the driver and the city in the suit, claiming there weren’t enough streetlights to properly illuminate her while she was crossing.

The claimants needed surgery after their injuries in both cases.

Their lawsuits come after the city implemented bike lane pilot projects to increase safety at both Holly Street and Eldridge Avenue in recent years.