A trial is underway after a Mason City man claims an open fire hydrant caused a motorcycle accident that left him critically injured. James Kleven claims the city is responsible for causing the crash of his motorcycle in 2003 after leaving a fire hydrant open to water flowers around Music Man Square.
Kleven says there was two to three inches of water in the street, and his motorcycle skidded across the road and stopped on the sidewalk when he tried to change lanes. Attorneys for the city say Kleven had been drinking with his girlfriend prior to the accident, but no charges of drunken driving were filed against Kleven. An eight-person Cerro Gordo County jury is hearing the case, which could last into next week.