5 of the Strangest Personal Injury Cases Ever Filed
Judge Mills Lane once said, “Every unfortunate event does not give rise to a lawsuit.” But with some of these stories, you have to wonder. People are constantly hurting themselves in new and interesting ways, and often attempt to find blame in others, even when it can be a stretch. Here are some of the strangest personal injury cases that are 100% real:
#1. Blame the Weatherman
Meteorology is a science, but that doesn’t mean weather forecasts are facts. Inaccurate weather predictions can postpone baseball games and cancel school days, but usually they mostly lead to complaining from disappointed viewers. However, in this case in Israel, one woman decided to go a step further. After a TV weatherman predicted a sunny day, she went outside dressed lightly. But after the weather turned stormy, she got the flu, missing days of work and paying out of pocket for medication. The woman then decided to sue the television station for $1,000 due to stress and irreparable damage. The funniest part of this story? She won.
#2. I Don’t Wanna Be Like Mike
An Oregon man sued Michael Jordan for defamation and permanent injury as well as emotional pain and suffering because he was tired of being mistaken for the basketball legend. He also sued Nike founder Phil Knight for making Jordan such recognizable global star – for $416 million each. Needless to say, this guy didn’t win. Maybe he should have just started charging for autographs instead.
#3. Scared-y Rat
Remember the show on NBC called Fear Factor? It was a game show where contestants were pitted against each other to see who could pull off the most outrageous stunts to win a $50,000 grand prize. Assuming contestants had to sign a Release of Claims and Liability, an Ohio man decided to press charges anyway after contestants were challenged to eat rats mixed in a blender. The challenge made him physically ill and he basically ran away sick and horrified. He then decided his suffering was worth $2.5 million from NBC, but the case was thrown out before it ever made it to trial.
#4. Wild Goose Chase
Everyone who has ever gone to “feed the ducks” knows there’s always an insane goose lurking around somewhere. Well, back in 2002, a woman and her son were strolling along Okeeheelee Park in Palm Beach County, Florida, when they were suddenly charged by a wild goose. The woman fell to the ground trying to avoid the angry bird and claimed she sustained an injury to her tailbone. She attempted to blame the county and filed a heroic but unsuccessful lawsuit.
#5. Serrated Sandwich
Ever since someone found a finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chili, people have started to pay way more attention to their meals when they order fast food. And that was a very good move for a New Yorker from Queens when he was eating a sandwich from Subway. He had taken a couple bites of his sandwich when he noticed the taste was slightly off. Upon examining the sandwich, he discovered a serrated knife baked into the bread. He wasn’t injured, but sued Subway for $1 million dollars claiming he got sick after eating the contaminated sandwich. He didn’t get his million, but he did walk away with $20,000 in damages.
