In a world which grows increasingly surreal at times (especially of late) it’s cold comfort to learn that personal injury claims have steadily become more bizarre in nature too. Although far from a laughing matter for anyone who’s suffered an injury and later gone on to receive compensation on the grounds of public liability, of course.
But that’s not to say that you don’t read some pretty odd accounts of what constituted a personal injury claim once you start digging around. As we are all fairly well aware slips, trips and falls remain the most common form of public liability accident by a long way.
Yet within this context alone, the less-documented episodes certainly raise an eyebrow. Two prominent examples being, people slipping on flower petals, pools of gravy on restaurant floors and falling through trapdoors. Which we know sounds more akin to an episode of a TV prank show or a classic home video clip from ‘You’ve Been Framed’, yet in reality were just that. Real accounts, followed by real personal injury claims being pursued.
Personal Injury Claims When and Where Fact is Stranger Than Fiction
This is merely scratching the surface of the more surreal personal injury claims, however, as we’re about to discover, as we take a closer look at the Top 10 Strangest Personal Injury Claims Ever. In our opinion, at least.
10. Back in 1992 a woman sued McDonald’s after spilling what they believed was coffee which was too hot to handle/drink. Admittedly coffee is no good served cold, however McDonald’s had already received a number of complaints regarding serving their coffee at 82 – 88 °C. When coffee is normally served between 54 – 60°C. Suffering third degree burns, the victim’s solicitor argued that the fast-food chain’s coffee was far too hot, and more likely to cause serious injury than coffee served at other establishments. Their client was paid $6 million in this landmark personal injury compensation case!
9. Having already been injured in a nightclub ‘dancing incident’, a man was walking his children through a park in America when one of his crutches became trapped in a small hole. Unable to release it, the man fell over once again, injuring his other leg, and pursuing a public liability claim.
8. Norfolk Police seem an accident-prone lot, if recorded internal office injuries are anything to go on. In just the single calendar year, 77 counts of personal injury claims were forthcoming from unsuspecting victims of a range of accidents. One of the strangest cited being that surrounding a personal injury caused by ‘inadvertently squirting hand gel from a pump dispenser into the eyes’.
7. It appears that the UK began the whole compensation culture back in Victorian times. Point in question being the curious 1886 case of an artist from Swansea claiming for being blown over by an unprecedented gust of wind. Cue a compensation package totalling some £30.
6. In the US, someone tried to sue a TV evangelist, after they suffered injuries while wheeling their wheelchair-bound parent to the stage of the church where the event was being held; in preparation of receiving a personal healing. Said injuries being allegedly caused by ushers being overly physical with them during the ceremony.
5. In America again (perhaps unsurprisingly), another person sued a county in Florida for their personal injuries and loss of earnings after they fell and injured themselves while attempting to protect their child from an unprovoked attack by a goose in a public park. They claimed that signs should have warned of the imminent danger of geese.
4. Between 1993 and 2000, one woman ‘pretended’ to slip and fall in various locations. 49 times in total over a 7-year period, each time pursuing individual public liability claims potentially said to be worth millions of dollars. Suffice to say the insurers didn’t ‘fall’ for her fake histrionics.
3. An exploding toilet – or rather, various counts of – was the causation of a number of victims being on the receiving end of some serious injuries. The expensive Flushmate III model being the culprit, with some $5 million later paid out in personal injury claims to those who suffered whilst in their small rooms.
2. A gym-goer was ‘sucked’ into the filter of the hot tub at their local gym, resulting in a back injury. As unlikely as this may sound, the injury was deemed serious enough to enable them to file a claim for personal injury, and to probably never get in a hot tub ever again…
1. Our number one strangest personal injury claim has to be this though. When in 2006, Michael Jordan doppelganger (allegedly), Allen Heckard was so sick and tired of what he described as the ‘emotional pain and suffering’ related to being relentlessly mistaken for the former NBA icon, that he filed for personal injury compensation. Against both Jordan’s sponsors, Nike and Jordan himself. In the end, the claim was dropped by Heckard. Probably due to him being 6 inches smaller than Jordan in height and said to bear little resemblance to the sports star.
Why Choose DIYPI?
If you believe you’ve suffered as a result of a personal injury which was brought about by someone else’s negligence, then you’re probably entitled to claim compensation. From either an individual, business, organisation or public service which you feel was responsible for your subsequent pain. Be it physically, psychological or both.
No matter how ‘crazy’ or ‘strange’ the injury may have been, we can assist you to determine if you have a case or not.
We have almost two decade’s experience within the legal claim sector, and have a team of experts who’ll help you get the compensation that you deserve.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today, to find out just what we can do for you.
