5 Bizarre Personal Injury Cases that You Have to Read to Believe
Much of personal injury law has to do with serious and life-altering events. Every day, lawyers deal with car accidents, slip and fall, and work place injuries. But sometimes, a case comes along that is so unusual that it makes headlines and has many people scratching their heads.
These bizarre cases challenge even the most experienced personal injury attorneys.
Sometimes, unexpected things happen. The law has to look at these odd situations, too. Reading about these five cases will make you realize just how strange legal battles could get. You might want to be surprised by what counts as a personal injury case.
The Case of Cedrick Makara
In 1999, the world followed the lawsuit between Cedrick Makara Newmark Reality and 40 Worth Associates.
One day, while at work, he went to the bathroom to ease himself. After Makara was done, he turned to open the bathroom door and found that the door had no knob to turn. He became desperate to get out and placed his thumb over the hole in the latching mechanism, and regretted having done it the next moment. Someone opened the door from the outside, and he was in this danger zone with his thumb. It twisted so much that the balance of the tendons was lost.
Makara later sued the company responsible. As he had been out of work for about six months by then and was now a disabled man, too, the court awarded him $3 million. His wife bagged $750,000 out of goodwill for the mental and physical torture she had been through.
A Class Action Lawsuit Against Dunkin’ Donuts
One dissatisfied customer of Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts found out that his bagels were slathered not with real butter but rather with margarine or another butter substitute. He was billed $.25 for the “butter,” so he put together a class action lawsuit.
He sued 23 Dunkin Donuts locations, seeking a better deal for bagel buyers. Those who got the butter substitute were entitled, he argued, to three free bagels in the future, and Dunkin’ Donuts use real butter or advertise the use of a substitute. The man filing the lawsuit would be paid $500 as the class representative.
A Lawsuit Over a Misleading Forecast
A woman has sued a weather reporter for a wrong weather forecast. It was reported that the weather reporter released a false forecast, due to which she was dressed lightly during a rainstorm. She got sick, lost a day at work, and paid for medication. She won the case and was awarded $1,000 in compensation.
Knife Found Baked into Subway Sandwich Leads Claim
A man from New York got an unpleasant surprise when he bit into his Subway sandwich. He found a knife baked into the bread. Although he wasn’t hurt by the knife, he claimed he felt sick after he ate a portion of the sandwich – due to knife contamination. He was awarded $20,000 for his personal injury claim.
Lawsuit Alleges Misleading Sugar Content Claims by Jelly Belly
A recent lawsuit against Jelly Belly claimed that the company had misled consumers about the sugar content in its “Sport Beans.” The plaintiff claimed to have been tricked into believing that they were a health food of sorts. While most of us would think this was a case of not reading the nutritional label, this court case really drove home the lesson of being upfront in one’s marketing.
Conclusion
These cases are simply bizarre and prove that truth is stranger than fiction in the world of personal injury law. Although some of these lawsuits may sound amusing, they truly have serious consequences for all involved. They can be resource-intensive, emotionally draining, and sometimes even cause businesses to shut down.
It’s important to remember that for every outlandish case that hits the news, thousands of legitimate personal injury claims are helping victims receive compensation.
Although these stories are diverting in their own right, they may also serve a useful purpose by reminding us that litigation must be responsible. If you ever find yourself in the position of thinking that you might have a personal injury claim, it is always best to contact an attorney. After all, you probably don’t want to end up on a future list of bizarre lawsuits!