Dives into river on dare, jury awards $76 million

Walter Olson — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:06:45 +0000

“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.” According to those present, Hoffman jumped in on a dare to win money from co-workers; the owner of the dock works said there had been a rail at the dock’s edge. [Obscure Store; Orlando Sentinel]

More: commenters, and John Hochfelder, point out the bankrupt defendant’s effective failure to mount a defense. And Jacob Sullum has a post at Reason “Hit and Run”.

Tags: diving, Florida, personal responsibility

Australia: City 75% liable because “No Diving” sign wasn’t explicit enough

Ted Frank — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:20:38 +0000

Philip James Dederer acknowledges seeing a “No Diving” sign on the Foster/Tuncurry Bridge in New South Wales, but dove anyway, and the 14-year-old became paralyzed as a result. He sued: “[The sign] just told me I shouldn’t dive – it did not put any danger into it.” The court bought the argument, and Australian taxpayers are now on the hook for A$1,050,000. (Dederer v. Roads and Traffic Authority, 2005 NSWSC 185; “Bridge diving victim awarded $1m”, Sydney Morning Herald, Mar. 18). An Australian blawger, David Starkoff, defends the judgment.

Tags: Australia, diving, taxpayers

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Dives into river on dare, jury awards $76 million

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Australia: City 75% liable because “No Diving” sign wasn’t explicit enough

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