One long hard ride

I now live in a country where lawsuits are the exception, not the norm.  There are several reasons.    Here, personal lawsuits can take more than a decade to resolve and they are expensive.  Second, a corrupt system doesn't guarantee a fair outcome. Third, people here usually try to work out their differences like they used to before the U.S. legal system got so out of whack.  And perhaps most important, people here in Mexico are deemed responsible for their own actions.

I remember four years ago when we first moved here.  A group of residents were walking around the complex with the developer and one raised questions about a hillside he thought looked unstable.  Concerned about liability, the resident asked the developer, what happens if a family was walking by the hillside and it fell on them and they died.  The developer replied, "Too bad.  Their unlucky day."  And he was serious.  Personal responsibility and fate play a large role in survival here.

So it is with interest that today I read the story of the northern California man who is suing BMW because apparently, after riding a BMW motorcycle, he got an erection.  And, it hasn't gone down in 20 months.   The guy's name is Henry Wolf, and in the lawsuit filed last week in San Francisco, he claims that he  "now is unable to engage in sexual activity, which is causing him substantial emotional and mental anguish."    I would have thought just the opposite, but I have never been in his predicament, in fact a long shot from it (pardon the pun).

That claim in itself is a bit suspect, but as we know from Viagra commercials, anyone experiencing an erection for longer than four hours could have a problem.  I'm no doctor, but I would think the situation after 20 months would be downright explosive.  After a bit of research online, I discovered that in extremely severe cases, amputation is necessary if it won't go down.  But, there are several treatments available that Mr. Wolf probably should have sought out long before deciding to sue BMW.   A cold shower may be a start.

What is priceless about a story like this are the comments that readers posted online.  Among the standouts on the CBS5 website: 

It sounds like he has one stiff ride.

This ought to really boost BMW's sales.

Coming to seats near you: "This seat is known to the state of California to cause persistent erections."

He should have whøred himself out for 20 months straight. Had he done that, he would have more than made up for the lost wages with money to spare for ED treatment.

I didn't know BMW made a Woody.

I would be bragging, not suing!

In San Francisco BMW stands for Big Motherfluking Weiner.

I don't think I would want to be on the jury when the "evidence" is "presented".

This story is a hard one to swallow.

How much do you want for that bike?

Sue them!? I'd build them a freaking shrine!!!

BMW= Big Major Woody

On a side note, Mrs. Wolf sent a box of homemade desserts and a thank you card to BMW.
OK, you get the idea.  So do I.  Americans are understandably skeptical nowadays of the legal system, and this case just solidifies that skepticism.  Of all the websites I read, not once did I see anyone write "Oh, that poor man, may God bless him."  Frivolous lawsuits have made a joke of the legal system, and the lawyers who file them (and take on the cases) simply bolster the image held by many that it is a sleazy profession (for a small percentage of lawyers it is, but most I know are reputable and honorable).

BMW, which says it has never seen a suit like this, may settle out of court, but I hope they don't.  I hope it goes to a jury and I hope the media covers it for the absurdity that it is.  And, I hope in the end, BMW sticks it to him.