Yes, You Can Still Sue To Make Money Off Your Sheer Stupidity
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Staff Reporter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 16,929
Likes: 54
Yes, You Can Still Sue To Make Money Off Your Sheer Stupidity
Ah, America: land of the free, home of the brave, and one of the few places you can sue someone over the results of an act that might be viewed anywhere else as sheer, utter stupidity. Take, for instance, one Lauren Rosenberg of Park City, Utah. Fortune reports that she used Google Maps on her Blackberry to get walking directions between two local...More...
Last edited by Jazz; Jun 2, 2010 at 04:20 PM.
Ah, America: land of the free, home of the brave, and one of the few places you can sue someone over the results of an act that might be viewed anywhere else as sheer, utter stupidity.
Take, for instance, one Lauren Rosenberg of Park City, Utah. Fortune reports that she used Google Maps on her Blackberry to get walking directions between two local neighborhoods, and followed them obediently.
So obediently, in fact, that she persevered even when the directions took her onto a state route with high-speed vehicle traffic--and no sidewalks.
Predictably, she was hit by a car. And predictably, she is now suing Google for more than $100,000, for "careless, reckless, and negligent providing of unsafe directions."
Google warns Maps users on personal computers that, "Walking directions are in beta" and advises them to "Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."
But Maps for the Blackberry does not include the same warning. So Rosenberg walked onto a highway. And kept walking. And got hit by a car.
That's our definition of stupidity.
GPS systems are at the heart of an increasing amount of stupidity, in fact. In New York State, they've sent truckers unfamiliar with the region onto limited-access parkways that not only ban commercial traffic, but have bridges too low for modern tractor-trailer rigs.
That might be excusable for out-of-state drivers who've never experienced parkways. Except for the "No Commercial Traffic" signs at the entrances, that is.
But stupidity is hardly limited to U.S. residents. A BMW driver followed instructions from his GPS navigation system despite the fact it took him down a narrow, rutted, precarious Yorkshire path until he hit a fence. Which kept his BMW from plummeting off a cliff.
Being somewhat more sensible, the British courts fined him a total of roughly $3,000, which included the costs of rescuing both him and his car. He also got six points on his license.
Take, for instance, one Lauren Rosenberg of Park City, Utah. Fortune reports that she used Google Maps on her Blackberry to get walking directions between two local neighborhoods, and followed them obediently.
So obediently, in fact, that she persevered even when the directions took her onto a state route with high-speed vehicle traffic--and no sidewalks.
Predictably, she was hit by a car. And predictably, she is now suing Google for more than $100,000, for "careless, reckless, and negligent providing of unsafe directions."
Google warns Maps users on personal computers that, "Walking directions are in beta" and advises them to "Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."
But Maps for the Blackberry does not include the same warning. So Rosenberg walked onto a highway. And kept walking. And got hit by a car.
That's our definition of stupidity.
GPS systems are at the heart of an increasing amount of stupidity, in fact. In New York State, they've sent truckers unfamiliar with the region onto limited-access parkways that not only ban commercial traffic, but have bridges too low for modern tractor-trailer rigs.
That might be excusable for out-of-state drivers who've never experienced parkways. Except for the "No Commercial Traffic" signs at the entrances, that is.
But stupidity is hardly limited to U.S. residents. A BMW driver followed instructions from his GPS navigation system despite the fact it took him down a narrow, rutted, precarious Yorkshire path until he hit a fence. Which kept his BMW from plummeting off a cliff.
Being somewhat more sensible, the British courts fined him a total of roughly $3,000, which included the costs of rescuing both him and his car. He also got six points on his license.
Diesel Wrench
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 762
Likes: 31
From: Rock Springs WY
I think our society is wrong for supporting stupid. Thats why there are so many of them in the goverment and that includes the idiot president.
I applaude the UK for finning him for being stupid.
I applaude the UK for finning him for being stupid.
Diesel Fan
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 54
Likes: 3
From: Great Falls, MT
Maybe nature's plan of "survival of the fittest" would work better than rewarding the criminally stupid with high dollar law suits? If you follow obviously wrong advice and are injured or killed, the world might just be better off with out you in the gene pool.
I'm not really a mean person, but this kind of brings out my mean side.
I'm not really a mean person, but this kind of brings out my mean side.
