A 25-year-old man who was paralyzed when he answered a dare to do a belly flop in a river has been awarded $76.6 million by a jury. Timothy D. Hoffman broke his neck when he sprinted down a dock and slammed headfirst into the bottom of the shallow river. Good luck collecting, though: The defendant, C&D Dock Works, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy because of the incident. (Orlando Sentinel)
Guess his boss shouldn't have dared him.
Posted by: Sean, CT | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 01:50 PM
Another m*f who will be up against the wall when the revolution comes.
Posted by: jakejake | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 01:51 PM
Hey everybody im rich. I crap my pants and pee through a hose but I am rich.
Sounds worth it?!?!
Posted by: Dick C. Normas | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 01:52 PM
Well, I guess we should all feel lucky that this brain surgeon didn't procreate before jumping.
Since when does Dumb, dumb, dumb = You Owe Me? Oh, that's right, since Trial Lawyers Ruled the Earth.
Posted by: sometimesilie | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 01:54 PM
How is the company responsible when an adult decided to goof off when he should have been working and got himself hurt? I hate our courts sometimes.
Posted by: Kee | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 01:59 PM
Makes one think before they issue a dare. I mean, if you dare someone to do something, and they are clumbsy and hurt themselves then they could sue you (not saying that is what happened here). I dunno, seems there should be personal accountability. But, the former owner should have to pay, not for the dare, but because he had no comp insurance. Dicks like that should be in jail. As should tools who drive without car insurance. It's against the law.
Posted by: ARNOLD ZIFFEL | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 01:59 PM
He won't see a dime though.
I like how his fiance bailed. I bet if he does get paid she will be back. Women are like that.
Posted by: SwarthyTroll | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:00 PM
Ok...This is friggen stupid! The guy takes a dare, or a bet, or whatever, then, under his own power, he jumps into 1 foot of water from 10 feet up???? I really don't think that is worth 76.6 million bucks!!!! No one forced him...No one held a gun to his head...They dared him! Any reasonable person would have told them to get stuffed! (Or at least raised the ante to $100 bucks!!!)
Posted by: USMerc | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:03 PM
Personal Responsibility Surrenders.
Plus, why was the corporation even sued? Why weren't the PEOPLE who dared him the negligent ones?
I can answer my own question, because theoretically the corporation has the money and the individuals do not.
If I owned the company, I would have found a way to declare bankruptcy also.
Posted by: Lou Sussler | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:08 PM
I'll double-dog dare ya to ... oops, my bad.
Posted by: Phranqlin | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:09 PM
STIL, you just created teh title of the next great, cult "B" movie.
"When Trial Lawyers Ruled the Earth"
LMFAO!
Posted by: | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:23 PM
When I first read this, I though "what a load of poop" that the guy gets all that money for being totally stupid. But ARNOLD ZIFFEL has a point, the *construction company* didn't have workmans comp insurance???? That's almost as stupid as the stupid guy to took the bet.
Posted by: Kelly | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:25 PM
Sorry, that was me. And sorry, "the" I always do that.
Posted by: Mikey | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:26 PM
Mikey, I was thinking of those cheesy 60's children's paintings about dinosaur's which had titles like "When Dinosaur's Ruled the Earth"
Posted by: sometimesilie | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Yeah, got that. I think Godzilla-sized lawyers would be funny. But, how do they knock down buildings when they have no tail, and such little dicks? Maybe they use their massive, forked tongues.
Posted by: Mikey | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:40 PM
Since when being stupid Pays off!
Stupid jury and or lawyer
Posted by: Trisha | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:41 PM
How 'bout "When Trial Lawyers Dicked the Earth"?
Posted by: Mikey | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:43 PM
Trisha,
Wretchedly, (Is that a word?), a jury must follow the instructions of the judge and law. Had to put a man in jail a couple of years ago. None of us wanted to. We had no choice, but at least were able to find him guilty of a lesser charge. He had an idiot lawyer. White boy with an affro. Like Napolean Dynamite.
Posted by: Mikey | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:47 PM
Brilliant!
Not Darwin Award worthy though because I think he can still reproduce.
Posted by: RockyMtnMac | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:48 PM
that's even better, Mikey! Imagine the terrified children of future generations. And than some asshole will go and reconstitute Georgetown Law or some such place and the experiment will get out of whack and before you know it someone, somewhere will slip and fall and we'll all wind up with garnish paychecks. It could happen.
Posted by: sometimesilie | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:51 PM
Just another instance of the stupid being rewarded.
If he was doing a belly flop....why did he land on his head?...and why is it someone else's fault that he was stupid enough to try it in the first place? Since it appears he wont get any money from this suit, maybe he should sue the show Jack Ass where he probably originally got the idea it was cool to pull jack ass stunts.
Posted by: cherie | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:51 PM
Excellent point, Cherie. Why, when he was supposed to be doing a belly-flop, did he land on his head? I think this is the first one of the season.
Posted by: Mikey | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 02:57 PM
I honestly wonder why he would sue for so much. He should have realized that there was no way that he'd ever get that money, and simply sued them for the most he could get without bankrupting them.
Posted by: Joe | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 03:03 PM
guy's not getting a penny. the company that he sued has gone bankrupt, and didn't even have representation at the trial.
Posted by: lester | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 03:13 PM
"I'll double-dog dare ya to ... oops, my bad.'
Phranklin,
Isn't that what the rednecks said who cut up the dog deer?lol
Posted by: A.V. | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 04:22 PM
If you read the story this guy was hired by a temp agency and they were the ones without workers comp "C&D was the general contractor on the job, to which Hoffman was sent by a temporary labor agency." "Hoffman tried to get workers' compensation payments, but the claim was denied in 2005 because the agency he worked for had no workers' comp insurance," I don't know how workers comp works but he was not an employee of the construction company, the temp agency were the ones signing his paycheck.
Posted by: | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 07:01 PM
If you read the story this guy was hired by a temp agency and they were the ones without workers comp "C&D was the general contractor on the job, to which Hoffman was sent by a temporary labor agency." "Hoffman tried to get workers' compensation payments, but the claim was denied in 2005 because the agency he worked for had no workers' comp insurance," I don't know how workers comp works but he was not an employee of the construction company, the temp agency were the ones signing his paycheck.
Posted by: csg | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 07:03 PM
Mickey, I believe that the jury trumps the judge but it's been years since I've seen juror's rights mentioned in the media, so maybe they made it illegal.
Posted by: David | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 09:03 PM
It says in the article the guy worked for a temporary labor company...they not the contruction company would be responsible for paying any workmans comp insurance premiums.
Posted by: | Monday, January 26, 2009 at 10:10 PM
VOTE DEMOCRAT - IT'S A HELL OF A LOT EASIER THAN TAKING A DEEP DIVE IN A SHALLOW RIVER!
Posted by: | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 04:39 AM
EVIDENTLY IT PAYS TO BE A FOOL.
Posted by: MONKEY JERK | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 04:52 AM
So did he get the $10 or $20 bucks for the dare?
Posted by: Elroy | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 06:15 AM
Glad this turd won't get a penny.
You might be a redn*ck......if anyone in your family's last words were "hey everybody, watch this!"
Posted by: pms | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 06:47 AM
I like how the woman was smart enough to ditch the guy. Women, unlike trolls, have brains.
Posted by: Swarthy Mole | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 07:30 AM
Maybe this has been answered here, but I haven't seen it and the story didn't say, but what the #%!* does the dock maker have to do with this guy being too freakin stupid to do a bellyflop instead of diving off the dock?!?!?
Did this moron need a sign telling him not to do something like this?
Exactly when did America lose all common sense and self responsibility?!?!??!??????
Posted by: inquizitiveOne | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 07:58 AM
Yeah, the sign could read:
"Caution, diving into shallow water head first may result in a very quick end to a really bad day."
Posted by: USMerc | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 09:08 AM
I think the dock maker is to blame because they didn't make the dock high enough to kill him ...
Posted by: Sigh | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 10:20 AM
The only way I can see that the construction co. would be responsible is if the owner of the company was there and said "I dare you, I double-dog dare you to jump and if you do I'll pay you 76.6 million buckaroos." But it has to be a double-dog dare or it doesn't count. Otherwise this is just more hot-coffee-in-the-lap stupidity.
Posted by: Nauip | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 03:43 PM
What? His momma never gave him the "if your friends jumped off a bridge" line, huh?
Posted by: outofsalt | Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 08:34 PM
Mikey,
It would be wise to Google "jury nullification" sometime between now and the next time you have to report for jury duty.
David is almost correct, the justice system has been so heavily tilted in favor of the DA's office. A typical remark you'll hear is, "the judge is the judge of the law, and the jury is the judge of the facts." Three more words belong on the end of that sentence, "and the law."
It is the constitutional right to a jury of one's peers (actually going all the way back to the Magna Carta) which is there ro protect average people from corrupt judges and oppressive laws.
There may be a statute on the books prohibiting you from say, wearing yellow on Fridays. A prosecutor can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you violated that statute, a judge can uphold the statute with whatever enforceable punishment is allowed (20 years hard labor?) Yet the jury can reason that yes, you are legitimately guilty of the "crime" but conclude it's a nonsense statute, an excessively harsh punishment and with even one member of that 12-person panel refusing to vote guilty, there cannot be a conviction (though it could be retried). Get twelve intelligent jurors on a panel to vote "not guilty" and you are free to go and can never be charged for that same offense again.
Let that happen enough times, and finally the message will come out that the law is bogus and that the people won't stand for it, and it will hopefully only remain as a relic of history. (See: McCarthyism)
For more information, visit the Fully Informed Jury Association.
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