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General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: Tau on April 24, 2008, 04:53:25 pm

Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Tau on April 24, 2008, 04:53:25 pm
Security Footage! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXcTUF8zCI)

I just read the complete story. First he stayed home for a couple of days, then when he got media attention, the guy sued the elevator company for 25 million dollars (You know I can get the sueing part, but what is it with those preposterously high numbers in American Law suites. *The McDonald's forgot to put a pickle on my burger, I am going to sue them for 80 billion dollars*)
He took a 8 week vacation, to avoid having the company believe he was mentally fit.
9 years later, Now the guys is unemployed and apparently still looking for work because he didn't get the 25 million dollars.

This guy sounds like an idiot to me.

That's pretty sad though, I don't know what I'd do aye, probably have a smoke(Since he just took a cigarette break) and try to get the fire alarm to go off. If only Ipods or something were invented then haha.(Yes my names Dausaua on YouTube)

Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on April 24, 2008, 05:03:10 pm
Quote from: Tau on April 24, 2008, 04:53:25 pm
This guy sounds like an idiot to me.

Yeah, I'd say that filing a lawsuit for an emotionally traumatizing incident where you're stuck in a 4x4 cube for 41 hours through absolutely no fault of your own while several security guards notice you on the monitor and do nothing while elevator repair staff fail to check your elevator after all the others is pretty stupid, right?
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Dale Gobbler on April 24, 2008, 05:10:53 pm
I watched the time-lapse video. When the doors opened, he just kind of walked out of there. Also, On one of the other cameras it had a guy on a ladder working on something for a long time.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Tau on April 24, 2008, 05:11:24 pm
Yeah it would have been pretty f*cked up to be in his shoes during that 41 hours but to sue for 25 Million is a bit over the top!
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Mince Wobley on April 24, 2008, 05:13:28 pm
Quote from: benjamin franklin on April 24, 2008, 05:03:10 pm
Yeah, I'd say that filing a lawsuit for an emotionally traumatizing incident where you're stuck in a 4x4 cube for 41 hours through absolutely no fault of your own while several security guards notice you on the monitor and do nothing while elevator repair staff fail to check your elevator after all the others is pretty stupid, right?


Yes it is because he wasted a lot of money on lawyers but got none, this is just like gambling and gambling is stupid.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Randy Moist on April 24, 2008, 05:24:25 pm
Well the over litigation crisis in America is made up to protect certain interests so I don't really find it surprising that he didn't win, since most of these kind of cases actually don't.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: ase on April 24, 2008, 05:32:11 pm
If I am ever stuck in an elevator, I will just get naked and start masturbating. Hopefully that will get the security officers' attentions AND no one will be able to publicly show a video of me pacing around and going crazy
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Dale Gobbler on April 24, 2008, 05:54:09 pm
It'll wind up on the internet one way or another ASE.  :fogetnaughty:

BTW:

Here's the time lapse video. Kind of weird how the lights in his car were on the entire time, but the other cars got turned off and stuff.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Sarah on April 24, 2008, 06:21:25 pm
Being stuck in an elevator for 41 hours would be horrific. I don't blame him for suing for so much, seriously, something should've been done much sooner.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Mince Wobley on April 24, 2008, 06:27:58 pm
The video looks exactly like The Sims when you put the game on fast forward mode
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Ralph on April 24, 2008, 06:36:56 pm
Quote from: Inri Cheetos on April 24, 2008, 06:27:58 pm
The video looks exactly like The Sims when you put the game on fast forward mode

Exactly my thoughts.

Anyway, it kept freaking me out whenever he opened the elevator doors and saw only walls.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Blitzen on April 24, 2008, 06:39:02 pm
Thats awful, I feel so bad for the guy. You'd think that after a couple hours people would've started wondering where he went. I'm sad now.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Bobberticus on April 24, 2008, 06:41:28 pm
Quote from: Inri Cheetos on April 24, 2008, 06:27:58 pm
The video looks exactly like The Sims when you put the game on fast forward mode
I was thinking the same..
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on April 24, 2008, 06:45:19 pm
i love it when people dont understand lawsuits aren't about what a person "deserves"
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: bort on April 24, 2008, 07:19:27 pm
PLAY FINAL FANTASY!!!
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: unusualgamer on April 24, 2008, 09:48:17 pm
Wow, that'd be totally terrible.

I also like that at the end of the video there is an advertisement for Final Fantasy XIII, AWESOME!
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Mama Luigi on April 25, 2008, 02:02:37 am
Jesus 41 hours.

also Jesus 25 million.

41 hours without bathroom, food, adequate space is just insane. Imagine being completely bored out of your mind for 1 hour. Absolutely nothing. Not multiply that by 41.

I could see 1 million in damages... not 25 million though.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Randy Moist on April 25, 2008, 03:57:04 am
He didn't win the $25 million though. Also, McDonalds coffee cup lady won but I believe got a much smaller portion than expected actually rewarded, and then it got brought to appeals where she finally settled (for even less). Most of the time when you hear about all the millions of dollars suits these are either an exaggeration of the amount of money, a much more reasonable reward given, no reward given at all, or a flat out lie.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on April 25, 2008, 04:02:45 am
dude barely got six figures actually.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Neok on April 25, 2008, 04:09:14 am
Supposedly, the security guys didn't see anything amiss when they glanced at the screen. So with this in mind, I'd probably start stripping and causing a ruckus in there to get them to pay attention.

All while praying to the heathen gods that the security footage doesn't end up on the internet :(
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Lord Kamina on April 26, 2008, 01:42:04 am
Quote from: benjamin franklin on April 24, 2008, 05:03:10 pm
Yeah, I'd say that filing a lawsuit for an emotionally traumatizing incident where you're stuck in a 4x4 cube for 41 hours through absolutely no fault of your own while several security guards notice you on the monitor and do nothing while elevator repair staff fail to check your elevator after all the others is pretty stupid, right?

It is if you consider USA is the only place in the world where that shit happens.
In other countries, shit just happens and most people would never even consider sueing the elevator company.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: UPRC on April 26, 2008, 01:55:56 am
As a security guard myself, I am wondering what the FUCK was wrong with the security in that building and how they did not um... NOTICE SOMEONE WAS STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Lars on April 26, 2008, 03:15:21 am
About ten years ago I was stuck in an elevator for one hour. It was hell. I didn't ride elevators for about a year and was anxious riding them for like 5 years afterwards. And that was ONE hour.

41 fucking hours. Poor dude.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Aten on April 26, 2008, 05:52:37 am
Last week me and a friend got on an elevator, it was fucking tiny, like 3 people max, and it didnt have any indicators and shit, and we were heading to the 3rd floor. For a while, I thought we were stuck and started panicking and my mobile showed "no signal" and I was like "DUDE WHAT IF WE GET STUCK :<:<:<"

But it reached 3rd  floor. (by which time our work elevator would have reached the 7th floor).
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: missingno on April 26, 2008, 06:13:38 am
I was trapped once, actually for an hour or two. I don't really remember it much at all, but I was with my mom and little brother, and we were both very young. The only thing I remember was making fun of him because he was crying and my mom slapped me. Eventually some dudes came and pried the door open and I think we were between floors and had to climb up over the wall a little bit.

I would have sued probably, but not for that much money. I'd have factored how much money I make per hour and ask that the elevator company paid me per hour of my time. I doubt that would have been unreasonable. Then again I'm the kind of person who probably wouldn't really be traumatized by something like that. It would suck not having water for 41 hours, but the close space and the being alone thing is the kind of environment that I usually prefer.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on April 26, 2008, 04:38:35 pm
okay let me just explain this: he's not suing because of WHAT HE'S WORTH.

he's suing to PUNISH THE COMPANY.

see in America or in any large capitalist country, a large corporation or even a small one has access to more legal funds than the average citizen. as a result, it would be difficult if not impossible for most individuals to ever take on a corporation, without ruining their entire financial future as a result. this means a corporation can do something awful and do it over and over again, since no one can tackle them.

the large funds people sue for aren't for themselves; it's to HURT the corporate entity. if this man had sued for just his lost wages, the corporation would do nothing about their horrible elevator standards. the point is to make the corporation FIX ITSELF because nothing else will. this is why we have killswitches on generators and elevator standards to begin with.

you are trying to punish a corporate entity (in this case, someone who owns a fucking 40 story building, a floor of which easily rents out to half a million a month) and this is the way you do it; by making them feel the loss. if he sued for just his lost time, the corporation wouldn't care. people who sue tobacco or car companies for millions when a loved one dies aren't ever going to get their loved one back; they are trying to stop the corporation from making unsafe products.

if you've followed this, congratulations, you now know more about lawsuits than most of America.

to clarify obviously the people want money but the reason they can ask for such high amounts is the above. getting a million from a settlement is just a bonus in the legal system, it's about punishing the company for being unsafe.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Bondo on April 26, 2008, 05:54:11 pm
Quote from: Magical Negro on April 26, 2008, 04:38:35 pm
he's suing to PUNISH THE COMPANY.
 :words:
The problem arises when someone starts "punishing" a company for stupid shit.

Your water fountain doesn't have pressure high enough for a proper drink. LAWSUIT

I tripped over my own shoelaces while walking down your hallway. LAWSUIT

Your parking garage is too big, and I couldn't find my car for ten minutes. LAWSUIT

Your vending machine sells roasted peanuts, and I'm allergic to peanuts. LAWSUIT

This kind of frivolous lawsuit is the reason why the cup you buy coffee in says "DANGER HOT."  Of course it's hot, you walking ass sculpture!  It's coffee!  It's the reason those little packets of oxygen absorber stuff you find in the jerky or other merchandise says "DO NOT EAT."  Why the hell would anyone WANT to in the first place!?  This makes it seem like people have no common sense, which isn't true.  People are just greedy.

A co-worker of mine had back problems.  She was scheduled to undergo surgery sometime, but she couldn't pay for it.  One day, she dropped a pencil, and strained her back picking it up.  Rather than going through workers comp, she sued the company for as much as she could, which equaled out to about 40k.  She got her surgery, in addition to a new truck.  Today, she still gloats about her victory.

This elevator incident seems to be a proper lawsuit though.  They should install emergency phones in those things.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on April 26, 2008, 06:08:08 pm
Quote from: Bondo on April 26, 2008, 05:54:11 pm
The problem arises when someone starts "punishing" a company for stupid shit.

Your water fountain doesn't have pressure high enough for a proper drink. LAWSUIT

I tripped over my own shoelaces while walking down your hallway. LAWSUIT

Your parking garage is too big, and I couldn't find my car for ten minutes. LAWSUIT

Your vending machine sells roasted peanuts, and I'm allergic to peanuts. LAWSUIT

This kind of frivolous lawsuit is the reason why the cup you buy coffee in says "DANGER HOT."  Of course it's hot, you walking ass sculpture!  It's coffee!  It's the reason those little packets of oxygen absorber stuff you find in the jerky or other merchandise says "DO NOT EAT."  Why the hell would anyone WANT to in the first place!?  This makes it seem like people have no common sense, which isn't true.  People are just greedy.

A co-worker of mine had back problems.  She was scheduled to undergo surgery sometime, but she couldn't pay for it.  One day, she dropped a pencil, and strained her back picking it up.  Rather than going through workers comp, she sued the company for as much as she could, which equaled out to about 40k.  She got her surgery, in addition to a new truck.  Today, she still gloats about her victory.

This elevator incident seems to be a proper lawsuit though.  They should install emergency phones in those things.

the stella liebeck case (or coffee is hot) is far more controversial than that coffee is hot (the woman was given third degree burns on her genitals from a small spill of coffee and they were disobeying regulations to keep it that hot) and frivolous lawsuits are far from prevalent. I don't know your coworker's situation but I'm willing to bet 40k was the settlement in which case it was the company's choice not to pursue the lawsuit (because if its that simple of a case anyone could win it).

no one sues for millions on really frivolous lawsutis, you have to be severely physically injured or incapacitated or killed.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Randy Moist on April 26, 2008, 06:36:43 pm
Quote
Your water fountain doesn't have pressure high enough for a proper drink. LAWSUIT

I tripped over my own shoelaces while walking down your hallway. LAWSUIT

Your parking garage is too big, and I couldn't find my car for ten minutes. LAWSUIT

Your vending machine sells roasted peanuts, and I'm allergic to peanuts. LAWSUIT
This is exactly it. Whether these cases are real or not, they get told. And when a real one makes it into the news it is always simplified into terms that lead the reader to think "ARG FUCKING STOP SUEING!" Of course when you read "Your vending machine sells roasted peanuts, and I'm allergic to peanuts. LAWSUIT" you are going to get uppity, but how can you possibly understand the facts of the case in such a short bit of info? Shit is constructed to sound absurd, if it is real (actually find me the legal briefs for any of those cases you listed, and if you did it would tell a different story I'm sure. A lot of time you just hear stories, like man loses fingers in law mower by own stupidity, I'm pretty sure that never happened), because that is what works in the news, that's what is digestible.

This is one that I had heard before so it works for me. A burglar falls through the roof and is injured. He sues and wins.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Bondo on April 28, 2008, 03:42:08 am
I made those cases up off the top of my head as examples of the kind of shit you hear about.  Though, yeah, the media plays a big part in dumbing down the finer points of a case.

Quote
This is one that I had heard before so it works for me. A burglar falls through the roof and is injured. He sues and wins.
This is an extremely well-known case, and probably the quintessential example of frivolous lawsuits in America.  Most people (Myself included.) took it at face value.  Though after seeing the details, it's a lot grayer than expected.

I have newfound faith in our justice system.  Thank you.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: YourHero on April 28, 2008, 04:59:23 am
am i missing something, or did he go without bathroom usage... or rather... NEED of bathroom usage during those two day??
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on April 28, 2008, 05:01:44 am
i think that's why the elevator door was opened so much.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: missingno on April 28, 2008, 11:00:32 pm
Quote from: Magical Negro on April 26, 2008, 04:38:35 pm
okay let me just explain this: he's not suing because of WHAT HE'S WORTH.

he's suing to PUNISH THE COMPANY.

etc

Yes and that's pretty stupid.

Companies fuck up and I wouldn't want to punish them for that, I'd just ask for what I deserve and frankly don't give a shit about THEY GOT WHATS COMIN TO 'EM. Maybe I am just an easygoing guy or something. Plus trying to take on a big company isn't always smart since corporate america always wins. Heh heh heh.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on April 28, 2008, 11:14:19 pm
Quote from: Despain on April 28, 2008, 11:00:32 pm
Yes and that's pretty stupid.

Companies fuck up and I wouldn't want to punish them for that, I'd just ask for what I deserve and frankly don't give a shit about THEY GOT WHATS COMIN TO 'EM. Maybe I am just an easygoing guy or something. Plus trying to take on a big company isn't always smart since corporate america always wins. Heh heh heh.

are you completely insane?

MISTAKES.

do you know why McDonalds provides special toys for kids under a certain age? children were dying because they choked on the toys with little parts. do you understand why those mass tort law appeals say "sign up if you took this drug"? because it gives you cancer and is killing people. do you know why this guy sued a company? because if it wasn't for the luck of someone hearing him, he would have died. it could have been worse if he had not eaten or drank.

a corporation doesn't feel the loss of two days of wages. that means nothing to them. the reason you sue for more is because then they don't do it AGAIN. until Stella Liebeck's case, there were hundreds of McDonalds lawsuits where the coffee was giving people 3rd degree burns (which can be FATAL and in Mrs. Liebeck's case, burned her through her clothes). now they cannot give you coffee so hot that if you spill it on your kid you will scar them for life, because of the victory of the case. that's the point of class actions; to make them actually realize people will not tolerate being stuck in an elevator for 41 hours and that kind of shitty maintenance is inexcusable.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on April 28, 2008, 11:52:51 pm
yeah without a giant lawsuit it'd be feasible to continue selling a dangerous product/not getting an elevator fixed and just paying some shmo a bit of mulah whenever it caused a big problem
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Ryan on April 29, 2008, 02:36:02 am
Quote from: Despain on April 28, 2008, 11:00:32 pm
Yes and that's pretty stupid.

Companies fuck up and I wouldn't want to punish them for that, I'd just ask for what I deserve and frankly don't give a shit about THEY GOT WHATS COMIN TO 'EM. Maybe I am just an easygoing guy or something. Plus trying to take on a big company isn't always smart since corporate america always wins. Heh heh heh.

hahaha.

oh, so there's lead in my house's paint and asbestos in the walls? Eh, who cares. Mistakes are mistakes. Live and let live, I say. Who cares if I have 3 different forms of cancer and all my family died from it? Can I just have enough money to pay my doctor bills?
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: From Jungle on April 29, 2008, 12:56:26 pm
Elevators are evil and should not be trusted. I never take them if I don't have to. I prefer the stairs. Good exercise.
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: vath on April 30, 2008, 01:35:23 am
Haha, this is not stupid, but kinda funny :fogetlaugh:
Title: Man Stuck in Elevator for 41 hours!
Post by: Mama Luigi on April 30, 2008, 11:43:33 pm
wouldn't be funny if it was you