Appeals Court turns out the light on former solar racer’s claim against ISU

A former Iowa State University student has lost another round in his legal battle to get the state to pay for treating injuries he received while on a school-sponsored trip.Andrew Earhart was one of the engineering students who worked on I-S-U’s 1997 solar-powered car, which participated in an annual SunRayce. Earhart was injured in a support vehicle that wrecked on the way back from the race. Earhart had signed a waiver which said he could not sue for loss, damage or injury, including death, during the race, but he sued anyway, saying the waiver was ambiguous and may have been interpreted to cover his participation in building and racing the car, not riding in a support vehicle. The Iowa Court of Appeals has rejected his argument, and ruled that Earhart voluntarily waived all claims by signing that release.