Accident victim allegedly fakes blindness

Accident victim allegedly fakes blindness

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A motorist accused of blinding a bicyclist in a hit-and-run accident was cleared of charges after a doctor determined the victim was faking his injury.

James Arrigoni, 45, of San Anselmo, had been accused of swerving his pickup truck into a cyclist who made an obscene gesture with his finger a year ago.

Torrin Arnold, 26, of San Anselmo claimed he hit his head on the pavement and lost his vision.

He appeared at Arrigoni's court hearings wearing dark glasses and using a cane, and attended Braille school and was given a guide dog by a San Rafael nonprofit group, said defense attorney Jim Collins.

The case drew wide support from cycling enthusiasts who sponsored a fundraiser to help pay Arnold's medical bills and urged the district attorney's office to file criminal charges.

Prosecutor Paul Haakenson told a Marin County Superior Court judge on Thursday that he decided to drop the charges after reviewing medical records from an ophthalmologist who determined Arnold was pretending to be blind.

Arnold said he plans to pursue a lawsuit against Arrigoni.

"The people around me know the truth and that's what's important to me," he said.