Large Scale Central

Are you F ing kidding me

General Discussion
#1

ZAPPED AMTRAK TRESPASSER SUES
By KATHIANNE BONIELLO
Posted: 4:35 am
August 31, 2008

A Queens man who survived an electric shock and fire two years ago when he climbed atop an empty, stopped Amtrak train after a night of bar hopping in Boston is suing the railroad - because Amtrak didn’t do enough to protect trespassers like him.

Brian Hopkins, 25, of Astoria, was discovered engulfed in flames at about 4 a.m. atop the high-speed Acela train, having been jolted by 27,500 volts from arcing overhead wires.

Hopkins had been visiting friends in Boston when he suddenly proclaimed that he “wanted to get back to New York” and left a friend’s house at about 2 a.m., according to published reports at the time of the July 2006 incident.

Hopkins, an architect, apparently tried to pry open one of the parked trains before climbing on top.

He suffered third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body, and doctors have since amputated his left hand and leg, according to the lawsuit filed last month in Brooklyn federal court.

Amtrak “should have known that persons trespassed” in the South Station area where Hopkins was found, he and his parents contend in court papers.

The family claims that Amtrak should have monitored the area, cut off the electricity going to the overhead wires, and even parked its trains somewhere else when they weren’t in use.

Amtrak declined to comment on the pending litigation.

WATCH A HIM WIN THIS CASE!

Any judge that doesn’t just trow claims like this outta court should be disbarred, stoned, or hanged

#2

AMTRAK oughta prosecute him for trespassing…!

#3
Ken Brunt said:
AMTRAK oughta prosecute him for trespassing..........!
Could cost them an arm and a leg. :) x 10

tac

#4

Third degree burns over 85% of his body?!! AND HE SURVIVED???!!! Why doesn’t he sue the hospital that “saved” him?

#5

Hello Terry-

Quote:
Could cost them an arm and a leg. x 10
Shocking.

Well, since you started the bad puns…

  1. What was he doing on the roof? Did he want to become a ‘conductor?’
  2. If his parents find out, he’ll definitely be ‘grounded’…again.
  3. I thought there was ‘no smoking’ on Amtrak trains?

This could have been avoided if Amtrak ran battery power.

Best regards,
Bob

#6

Bob - Seems to me that it’s entirely his own ‘volt’, and that he really should have stayed at ‘ohm’.

As he’s currently seriously ‘incapacitored’, and his resistance to infection is low, there’s very little impedance to any small infection developing to a stage that could prove terminal…transforming his case into one where his surviving family would have to sue post mortem. As it is, they have very few grounds on which to claim.

On a more serious note, there was a case here in UK a couple of years ago where four young men who were graffiti-ing a bunch of electrically-propelled London underground trains actually inside the depot were killed outright when they ran the wrong way on being discovered. NOT kids, but men in their 20’s.

The families of two of them tried to sue London Transport for the same reason as your boy did - one of negligence in providing ‘safety’ for vandals. They were told in no uncertain manner to poke off.

There has to be a point at which common sense takes over from ridiculous claims. Sadly the wronged party often takes the easy way out and pays up to avoid any adverse publicity.

tac

#7

Terry-

Okay, I surrender. You can be King ‘Faraday.’ (but I did get a ‘charge’ out of reading your comments.)

A very similar event happened in New Jersey a few years back. The ‘victim,’ a Princeton University sophomore named BJ Miller, sued New Jersey Transit (owner of the electric railcar), a fraternity (which served him drinks), two campus eating clubs (which served him more drinks) and Princeton University (they have money?) and settled the case out of court for $5.5MM, split between various defendants.

Here is an article which describes the accident and Mr. Miller’s subsequent return to campus, as remembered by a campus police officer (a.k.a. ‘proctor’).

Page One
http://www.salon.com/it/feature/1999/03/hold_15featureb.html

(The ‘next page’ links do not work at the bottom of the article. Try this link below for page two…)

Page Two
http://www.salon.com/it/feature/1999/03/hold_15featureb2.html

Here is a different take on Mr. Miller:
http://www.nextstepoandp.com/documents/BJMillerOvercomesAccidenttoBecomePhysician.pdf

The Princeton University band censored a 1995 Halftime Show which was planned to celebrate Mr. Miller’s settlement with NJ Transit and the University. The band is known for its questionable taste, but this topic seemed to push the envelope too far.
http://www.princeton.edu/~puband/media/1995.html

Quote:
BUCKNELL September 23, 1995

Bouncing onto the field like an overdrawn check, it’s the Princeton University Band.

“Princeton Forward”

The following joke was cut in its entirety by the censors:

Last week, the University and New Jersey Transit finally settled with Dinky-climber B.J. Miller for a considerable sum. What could Mr. Miller do with all that money? We have a few suggestions:

buy an electric train set
Post-It Notes saying “Danger, 10,000 Volts”
buy a copy of AC/DC’s Greatest Hits
start a new fraternity: Zappa Alpha Pi
keg party!
a lifetime supply of rubber-soled shoes
Forming the value of personal responsibility, the Band salutes Princeton’s newest millionaire alumnus.

“Miller Time”
(Band forms ‘6.0’)


Best regards,
Bob

edited - fixed broken link…

#8

Guys,

It is the judges that allow this type of suit to go forward that are the problem… They allow this to happen as it promotes there profession… Money for the lawyers & more work for the judges… Who gets taken by this is you & me…

#9

The other problem is the juries that find for the plaintiff even though the guy was trespassing and so stupid that he should have been electrocuted.

#10

We have a case here in, where else but, California where the deputies who responded to a family disturbance and shot and killed the young man,( mentally disturbed and off his meds) that injured them during the fracas are now suing the mother for not being more responsible for her son.
Bill

#11
Bill Gebhardt said:
We have a case here in, where else but, California where the deputies who responded to a family disturbance and shot and killed the young man,( mentally disturbed and off his meds) that injured them during the fracas are now suing the mother for not being more responsible for her son. Bill
Curiously, that makes more sense than the other way 'round.