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LOML works as a receptionist for a law firm that handles cases for one of the major insurance companies. She sees all sorts of stupid lawsuits go by. She told me about one Thursday that takes at least part of the cake, if not the whole thing.
In a nutshell...
1. Man is walking along the sidewalk
2. A dog barks at the man, without leaving his yard (dunno if it was a fenced yard)
3. Man is startled by barking dog, slips and falls, badly breaking his wrist
4. Doctor who treats fallen guy botches the job, and the guy ends up with a messed-up wrist
So of course, the guy with the broken wrist sues...
...the dog owner (who is insured by LOML's company). Doesn't matter that the dog never made contact. Doesn't matter that an inept doctor put the broken wrist back together wrong. Doesn't matter that the guy is a total wuss when it comes to barking dogs. But the dog owner got sued, the jury found for the plaintiff, and awarded $900,000 in damages, which the insurance company will pay. (And I know the lawyers who fought the case for the insurance company are no slouches.)
Broken wrist guy will likely go after the doctor next. They have Malpractice Insurance just for such a thing. He's probably gonna make a career out of that broken wrist.
And that's one reason why insurance costs are so high.
In a nutshell...
1. Man is walking along the sidewalk
2. A dog barks at the man, without leaving his yard (dunno if it was a fenced yard)
3. Man is startled by barking dog, slips and falls, badly breaking his wrist
4. Doctor who treats fallen guy botches the job, and the guy ends up with a messed-up wrist
So of course, the guy with the broken wrist sues...
...the dog owner (who is insured by LOML's company). Doesn't matter that the dog never made contact. Doesn't matter that an inept doctor put the broken wrist back together wrong. Doesn't matter that the guy is a total wuss when it comes to barking dogs. But the dog owner got sued, the jury found for the plaintiff, and awarded $900,000 in damages, which the insurance company will pay. (And I know the lawyers who fought the case for the insurance company are no slouches.)
Broken wrist guy will likely go after the doctor next. They have Malpractice Insurance just for such a thing. He's probably gonna make a career out of that broken wrist.
And that's one reason why insurance costs are so high.